Saviour
by ProwlingShadow
Summary: "Amber, I promise I won't drop you." "I'm not afraid that you'll drop me, I'm afraid of everything down there." A dark story of a young girl and her attempts to escape her demons. Even with the help of Superman/Clark and Lois, can she do it?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is set in the Christopher Reeve universe. Please review!**

The train passing by echoed up the tiled underground stairs of the Metropolis subway. Out on the street a hooded figure walked quietly towards the stairs leading down to the subway platform. The only noise now was the tapping of feet on each step as they descended down the stairs. Once they'd reached the platform the figure removed their hood revealing a head of long black hair rich with curls. She looked over at the timetable and saw that the next train was 15 minutes away. She exhaled blowing hair out of her face in frustration.

After a few minutes the unmistakable noise of drunken men came bouncing off the walls from the top of the stairs. The girl put her hood back on and backed up and stood next to the wall keeping her head down. Five men stumbled onto the platform laughing and yelling at each other. Three of them held half empty bottles of bourbon and one was smoking a cigarette. They stopped for a moment when they saw the girl but continued talking amongst themselves. She noticed that the men were getting closer and closer to her as the minutes ticked by. She breathed slowly and started walking to the exit, a strong draft making her hood fall down.

"Hey girly, where are you going?" one of them called. The others laughed and catcalled. The girl's shoulders hunched over and she began walking faster. She could hear them chugging from their bottles and saying awful things to each other.  
"Hey! Girly I asked you a question!" the same man yelled again this time throwing his bottle in her direction. It bounced and shattered on the floor next to her making her jump away with a small yelp.

The men laughed and mimicked her cry until she spun around and yelled abuse at them, her voice cutting through their laughter like a knife. The men went quiet which made her hair stand on end and she stood frozen staring at them.  
"What did you just say to me?" the man who threw the bottle began walking towards her.

She began to back away quickly and turned when she got to the bottom on the stairs. Though she began running up them she only made it a few steps before the man had caught up to her, grabbed her jacket and yanked her back down onto the platform floor. She screamed and began to scramble away from him but he crouched down only inches away from her face and repeated his question.  
"What did you just say to me?" his breath smelt of alcohol and the girl cringed away. The man sneered and grabbed her hair. He yanked it back and repeated his question this time yelling in her face.  
"What did you just say to me?!" the girl closed her eyes and whimpered what she'd said before.

By now the other men had circled her and all stood silent. "You are disrespecting me. No one disrespects me and gets away with it!" he growled pulling the girl up to her feet by her hair ignoring her cries of pain.

He shoved her into one of the other men who caught her and held her arms down. The first man punched her in the stomach making her legs give in. The other man held her up as she endured punch after punch until she vomited and was thrown down to the ground. She sobbed hard and curled up with her arms covering her head. "Get her to shut the fuck up!" one yelled over her crying.

They yelled and laughed as they kicked her a few times before one of them got down and tore off her jacket. "Let's have a look at what we've got here." He said licking his lips. He tore her shirt straight up the middle revealing her bra and he smiled and laughed.  
"She looks yummy boys!" they laughed and edged him on while tormenting her. She screamed and struggled against the man but was met with a hard slap in the face. She felt the hands of some of the other men on her body. Under her bra, over her jeans, grabbing and feeling every part of her. She bawled as her shirt was ripped away and she became more exposed. The tiles were freezing against her skin and the smell of alcohol was strong on their breath. She writhed against their hold but was quickly hit over and over again until she stopped. Dizziness and pain filled her head and her vision became more and more blurry.

Suddenly one of the men was thrown off the girl and slammed into a wall. The tiles cracked and broke falling to the ground along with the man who slumped over unconscious. The other men jumped up in confusion and fear, they yelled at each other trying to figure out what had happened.

Even though her vision was blurry she could still make out the men spreading out around her looking in all directions. There was a blur of red and blue and then suddenly the man standing closest to where she lay was standing eye to eye with Superman.

There was a brief moment of pause and then violence erupted. The men ran at towards Superman and attacked. There was a swift blur of movements, the awful sounds of punching, cracking and crunching then Superman stood looking down at the group of men slumped over one another completely unconscious.

Through the girl's blurry vision she saw red boots coming towards her, becoming clearer the closer they got. She blinked and rubbed her face gently, she could already feel bruises beginning to form on her cheeks and around her eyes. "It's okay now. I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was strong and calming.

Tears started pouring down her face and she gasp for air, curling her legs up in front of her.  
"It's okay let me help you." The girl felt something cover her but only opened her eyes when the cold ground disappeared and was replaced by warmth. She realised that Superman had picked her up, wrapped her in his cape and was carrying her to the subway stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" She mumbled tasting blood in her mouth. Her body ached and tiredness began to engulf her, so she rested her head on Superman's shoulder.  
"I'm taking you to the hospital. Everything will be fine." He replied simply.

The girl was quiet for a few moments then she began to struggle. "No! No, no! I can't go there." Even though her weak struggles made Superman worry he did not let her go.  
"Miss I promise you will be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you." By now Superman had reached the top of the stairs and very gently lifted off and began to fly up into the sky, he focused on keeping her warm and not letting her look over his shoulder and seeing how high up she was.

"No you don't understand, my parents will kill me when they find out I'm at the hospital." She sobbed clinging onto Superman around his neck.

"Why would they do that? Wouldn't they be more relieved that their daughter is safe in hospital and not out on the streets at night all alone?"

"You don't understand, please just take me home I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm really fine honestly. You have x-ray vision you can check yourself. "

Even though the girl was right about his x-ray vision Superman was apprehensive about not taking her to the hospital. He was silent for a few minutes then used his x-ray vision and checked her over. There were no broken bones or internal bleeding, she was fine. Superman cleared his throat.  
"You don't have any serious damage so I will take you home. But I'll come back tomorrow to make sure you get to the hospital and get checked out by a doctor."  
"Okay." She sobbed. "What's your name miss?" Superman asked holding the shivering girl a little closer to him.

"Amber Adderley."

"Pleasure to meet you Amber Adderley, now I need your address in order to take you home."

Amber directed Superman the building that she lived in and he gently flew in through the open window and lay her down on her bed. Amber pulled some blankets over her and Superman stood up now that his cape was free. Amber had already practically fallen asleep but she still heard Superman learn over her and whisper that he'd be back soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter isn't edited as much as it should be but I wanted to get it posted tonight. Please review!**

Amber woke up to the morning light shining through the window shades onto her face. Last night's events forgotten until she stretched. The dull pain from the bruises on her body made her to cringe and recoil at the sudden resurfacing memories.

Amber lay in bed staring at the ceiling until she heard noises coming from the kitchen. She slowly got out of bed, got changed and walked into the kitchen to find her mother cleaning up her father's mess from the night before.

"What time is it?" Amber asked. Her mother, Cathy, was sweeping up broken glass into a dustpan.

"About 8:30," Cathy replied as she swept the last of the glass off the floor. "Where were you last night?" Cathy asked her voice weak and shaky. She stood up and her eyes drifted over Amber's face, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Amber hadn't looked in the mirror that morning, but she could easily guess why her mother was holding back tears.

Amber's cheeks were red and welted, her lips swollen and cracked, and her eyes were puffy and fading over in blue and black.

She tried to speak but a lump grew in her throat and she couldn't make eye contact with her mother. Amber looked down at her hands and before she could stop them, hot wet tears fell from her face to the floor.

"Something happened to me last night" Amber choked on the last word and she stepped forward into Cathy's arms completely breaking down.

"Oh mother! I-it's my enti-entire fault! There were men a-and they were drunk and th-they attacked m-me and ripped my shirt!" Amber wailed, jagged breaths breaking up her words. Cathy wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. "Oh my baby, it wasn't your fault. How did you get away?" Cathy asked sniffing back tears.

"Superman. H-he saved me. I-I would have di-died if he didn't come!" Amber's voice broke and she sobbed harder. Cathy hushed Amber and rubbed her back softly as she bawled drawing in jagged breaths. "Hush baby, everything's going to be okay, I've got you. Shush… let's run you a bath." Cathy said softly pulling Amber towards the bathroom.

Before Amber knew it she was sitting in a hot steamy bath with water up to her armpits and Cathy was washing her hair. She found lasts night's events spilling out quickly between sobs and sniffles, Cathy staying quiet the whole time.

Once Amber had finished telling Cathy everything her sobs had calmed down and the bath water had become lukewarm.

"Sweetheart, none of what happened is your fault. Don't say it was. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and that in no possible way is your fault." Cathy began running a comb through Amber's freshly washed hair, giving special attention to large tangles. "I can't thank Superman enough for saving you; I owe him an unpayable debt. And he is right about going to the hospital today, you got seriously injured and I think it would be smart to see a doctor."

"But what about the money, we have none!" Amber said uneasily. "I'll worry about that sweetheart," Cathy said leaning forward and placing a kiss on Amber's forehead. Amber smiled tentatively, "I love you."

"I love you too Amber."

Then was a sudden slamming of doors and a loud voice coming from outside the bathroom. Distinct footsteps came up the hallway and the bathroom door flung open. Amber's father stepped into the room, looked at the two women in the bathroom then his bloodshot eyes settled on Cathy.

"Why the hell is there no food cooking?! I come home after a long night of work and you haven't even started cooking me something to eat! Cathy you're useless, just fucking useless!" He yelled drunkenly swaying on the spot. Cathy stood up and spoke to him calmly, "hello Doug. I'm sorry I haven't started cooking but Amber needed t-"  
"Amber needed?! Amber needed! Needed what? More of my hard earned money! Seriously Cathy I've had it up to here with her shit!" Doug yelled, spit flying out his mouth, he didn't even look at Amber who was still sitting in the bath with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Oh of course you'd say that!" Cathy raised her voice to match his, "would you like to know what happened to Amber last night?! She was almost fucking raped and beaten to death! Our only daughter! Almost. Died!"

Doug sneered angrily and suddenly slapped Cathy across the face, leaving a red welt on her cheek. Amber bit her tongue; she knew not to try to intervene. Cathy had forbid her to get involved after one incredibly bad incident years ago.

"She's a fucking waste of space! And if you ask me she had it coming!" Doug said leaving the bathroom and heading for the liquor cabinet. Amber heard the cabinet door open then swing shut with a snap followed by the kitchen chair scrape across the wooden floor as he sat down.

"Are you okay?" Amber tenderly asked standing up in the bathtub. Cathy didn't answer. She turned away and picked up a towel to wrap around Amber. When Cathy did turn around Amber saw fresh tears in her eyes. "I always knew Doug was like this" she quietly said, "I can't stand the way he treats you. I never wanted you to have this kind of life Amber."

Cathy turned away to wipe her face as Amber stepped out of the bath with the towel wrapped snuggly around her chest. Amber hugged her mother from behind and breathed deeply to stop herself from crying too. She hated the way her father treated them, but she knew nothing would change his aggressive ways. Nothing had before. "I worry more about the way he treats you." Amber said making Cathy turn around and hug her.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry I didn't give you anything better than this, I'm so sorry you've had to live this kind of life. I want you to do better than me" Cathy wept. Amber did not see this side of her mother often. It was a hopeless, beaten down Cathy. One that Amber couldn't bear to watch cry. She didn't know what to say, so the two stood in a silent embrace until Cathy stopped weeping.

"I should have got you out of here a long time ago" Cathy muttered more to herself than to Amber. Before Amber could ask she was ushered off to get changed.

Before getting dressed Amber stood naked in front of her mirror. "I look like shit" she muttered turning and twisting to see all angles of her body. Her back was red with spotted bruising that continued around her ribs to her stomach. Her eyes were dark purple and black now and her cheeks were still a little red but the swelling had gone down.

Amber let out a horrified gasp when she saw finger nail scratches run over her left breast. She immediately threw her towel over the mirror trying to ignore how dirty she felt as she got dressed. Her hair was starting to go frizzy as it dried so Amber quickly pulled it into a side braid before it got too out of hand. Amber was just putting on socks when she heard a crash and glass shattering come from down the hallway.

She leaped off her bed and ran down the hallway and shoved the kitchen door open. Doug stood with his back to the door, next to the upturned kitchen table. There was shattered glass all over the floor and her mother was standing opposite him facing Amber.

"You don't talk to me like that Cathy. I deserve a little respect in this household" Doug said quietly. Amber noticed a spilt bottle of bourbon on the floor and knew he was drunk; he'd been drunk before he even got home. Amber stood silent at the door watching.

"She needs to see a doctor Doug. You're going to have to give up late night boozing and poker with _'the boys'_ so we can pay for it. Or you'll have to work overtime for the next few days" Cathy quoted 'the boys' with her fingers before crossing her arms back over her chest. Doug laughed loudly then put both hands and Cathy's shoulders which made Amber tense up. "You thick I'm going to waste even two cents on that mistake?" he cupped Cathy's face in one hand and squeezed her cheeks.

Doug let go of her face and began to turn away but Cathy suddenly struck him with a scream. She slapped and scratched and beat her fists against Doug until he managed to shove her off him causing her to fall to the floor hitting her face on a cupboard door.  
Cathy rolled over and looked at Amber, her hand coming up to touch a trickle of blood oozing from her hairline.

Amber had spent her whole life witnessing her mother get hurt so many times by the one man who was supposed to care for and protect them. She'd been on the receiving end of his abuse many times before. Whenever Doug had an abusive episode and Amber became his target, Cathy had always intervened and stopped or distracted him enough for Amber to slip away and hide. When Amber was young, too young to realize what was happening to 'daddy', Cathy would tell her to go hide at the beginning of an episode and she'd find her after counting to 100.

' _Hide and seek Amber, time to play hide and seek.'_

The memory bounced around Amber's head as she watched her mother wipe blood on her sleeve.

Amber snapped.

She couldn't bear to stand by and watch anymore. She couldn't just hide and wait to be told it was okay to come out anymore.

She ran at Doug and jumped on his back with a cry of rage. Her nails dug into his face and Doug screamed thrashing about trying to get Amber off his back. She ripped at his hair and even managed to sink her teeth into the side of Doug's neck before he bent over and pulled her off him from over his shoulders. The air was knocked out of Amber's lungs when she hit the floor.

"I've had enough of this shit!" Doug yelled taking a knife from the kitchen sink. Cathy and Amber both screamed as he raised the knife up in the air. Amber rolled out of the way as he swung down at her with the knife. It hit the flood with a dense thud and Amber scrambled for the door. Amber could see Doug's shadow on the floor in front of her; she saw the shadow of the knife rise up as Doug got ready to take another swing.

Cathy suddenly brought one of the kitchen chairs down over Doug. It broke into pieces and Doug fell down unconscious on the floor, the knife falling out of his hand with a clatter.  
Silence screamed in the small kitchen and Amber sat on the floor breathing heavily, staring at her father. Cathy stood with a piece of the chair still in her hands breathing heavier than Amber.

She dropped the piece of wood; the racket it made was so loud to Amber. She took and large breath and looked up at her mother waiting for her to say everything was okay now. Cathy looked at Amber with a heartbroken expression,

"I can't let you stay here anymore Amber. You need to get away from here, you deserve a better life. A life I couldn't give you." Cathy words were dripping with defeat. "Doug is toxic, this apartment is toxic. I can't sit by and watch you get poisoned anymore. I'm sorry Amber but enough is enough, come with me."

Cathy walked out of the kitchen and headed towards her bedroom. Amber stood up shakily and followed her. Everything the she'd just heard was slow to sink in.

Cathy was shaking the dust bunnies off a backpack when Amber walked into the bedroom.  
"Here, pack your clothes in this and whatever else you'll need," she handed Amber the backpack who told it blankly. "You can come back for the rest of your things once you find somewhere else to live. I'll keep all your stuff safe until I hear from you." Amber didn't move she stood rooted to the spot, not understanding what was going on.

"What's going on?" Amber asked softly, watching Cathy pull things out of a drawer and put them on the bed. Cathy looked up at her, seemingly surprised that she was still standing there. "What are you doing? Go get your clothes, go on, go." Cathy said walking over and pushing Amber out the room urgently. Amber silently struggled against her pushing until she found her voice,  
"No! What the hell? Why are you making me leave!?" Amber pushed back against her mother. Cathy stopped and looked at her.

"When he wakes up he is going to rip this entire apartment apart trying to find you. I'm terrified that this time I won't be able to stop him. Amber _this_ is the only way I can truly protect you from him. You leave, find a new home and begin a new life that he won't be able to find and tear apart. I've been thinking about doing this for the last year" Cathy had her hands on Amber's forearms holding her close.

"But I have no money! And what about you? I can't just leave you here with him!" Amber almost yelled. Tears were blurring her vision as everything Cathy was saying began to sink it. "I have the money sorted. No sweetheart, _I_ just can't let you live like this anymore. I will be fine, and I promise I'll see you again." Cathy hugged Amber as tears began to roll down Amber's cheeks.

"Come with me." Amber asked with a desperate plea in her voice. Cathy smiled sadly and kissed Amber's forehead. "I can't leave him Amber, despite him being an alcoholic he's still my husband. He was like this the day I married him. I was a young fool who thought my love for him would fix him." Cathy sighed sadly then looked at her daughter straight in the eye. "The only advice I have to give you about men Amber is, if you feel like they'd be the perfect man for you _if_ they were different in some way or if you fixed them or tried to make them a better version of themselves then that man is not the right one of you. You need to be content with them just how they are when you first meet them."

Amber nodded silently slowly working through what Cathy had just said to her. Amber turned around with the backpack and went to her room to pack her things. When she got back with the backpack full and shoes on she saw what Cathy had been putting on the bed. "Sit down Amber; I want you to have these." Cathy sat at the foot of the bed, the pile of objects between them.

She handed Amber a can of pepper spray, a framed photo of her and Amber when she was a little girl and then handed over an envelope. Amber opened it and found bank account information.

"I've been putting money into this account for you since you were a little girl; it was going to be a collage fund until Doug pulled you out of school. I thought then that I'd keep depositing and give it to you to when you needed it most." Cathy explained. Amber was speechless, the only thing she could do was wrap her mother in a loving embrace and bury her face in her hair.

The last thing Cathy had for Amber was a necklace with a small silver angel pendant. "This belonged to my mother; she said it always brought good luck to her. I hope it does the same to you." Cathy put the necklace on Amber and it sat delicately against her skin.

They shared another emotional hug Amber sobbing into her mother's shirt. "What about you? Who's going to protect you from him?" Amber asked again hugging her tighter, images raced through her mind making her sob harder.  
"Shush sweetheart, everything will be fine. It's you who needs protecting." Cathy held Amber for a few moments. She suddenly froze up. Amber stopped sobbing at her mother's sudden tenseness.

Doug was waking up. They were still only for a few moments listening to him come to then Cathy sprung off the bed and pulled Amber up. She quickly fit the items into the backpack and zipped it up as Cathy was peering around the door frame down towards the kitchen. She could see Doug's shadow in the hallway from the kitchen light.

Amber wouldn't be able to leave through the front door as she would have to walk passed the kitchen to get to it. But the fire escape was at the end of the hallway further down from the kitchen.

"Use the fire escape!" Cathy whispered urgently to Amber. Amber nodded, her stomach filled with a mixture of dread and adrenaline. Cathy tiptoed down to the kitchen as Amber darted to the window at the end of the hallway.

Amber pulled on the window struggling to get it to slide open. Her palms grew sweaty when Doug's croaky voice echoed from the kitchen. With a mighty shove the window opened and Amber exhaled relieved. She shoved her bag out the window and squeezed through the gap. The voices echoed down from the kitchen as Amber pulled the window down. She could hear Cathy trying to stall him.

The window suddenly gave in sliding shut with a rattle just as Doug burst out of the kitchen. Amber ducked to the side of the window before he saw her.

She heard his loud distinctive footsteps go into the bedroom and his yelling was nonstop. Furniture was flipped over and Cathy was yelling at Doug to stop, Amber could hear it all through the brick walls.

She held back tears as she began her decent down the fire escape onto the streets of Metropolis.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Please review! I love getting feedback on my stories.**

Amber found herself sitting in a café in the Metropolis city centre. She'd left the apartment just a few hours ago and had mindlessly caught the subway, getting off in the city centre. A waitress put Amber's order down on the table in front of her, snapping Amber out of her daze, the events of that morning still at the forefront of her mind. "Toasted spinach and feta cheese wrap. And here's your water." The bubbly waitress said putting a plate and a large glass of water down on the table. Amber thanked the waitress before she whisked away to serve another table.

Amber picked up the wrap and devoured it in minutes then finished the glass of water in a few loud gulps, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She hadn't eaten that morning and her stomach had been growling for most of the subway ride. Café food had always been too expensive for Amber to afford in the past but that morning, mainly due to her rumbling stomach, she decided 'fuck it' and headed for the first café she saw.

People walked by the café window and Amber watched them thinking about where to go from there. Finding a job was number one on her list, closely followed by finding somewhere to live. The thought made Amber's face scrunch slightly and she rubbed her face with both hands to smooth the creases back out. She didn't know anyone in the city that she could stay with and a hotel room in this part of town would be far out of her price range. Amber felt like she was out of her depth and promised herself to only spend the money Cathy had saved up for her if it was an absolute necessity.

The time ticked by and different people walked in and out of the café, greeting their friends or hurriedly buying coffees and sweet pastries. After some time Amber had had enough of sitting and staring out of the windows so she stood up, searched her pockets for some kind of tip for the bubbly waitress and got ready to leave.

As she was shrugging on her backpack a man caught Amber's eye, he was tall with black hair and wore a pair of glasses. What originally caught her eye was his motionless staring from across the sea of bustling people in the room. He was staring at Amber, a look of concern on his face. When the man realized Amber had noticed his staring he immediately ducked his head, grabbed his timely coffee order from the counter and left.

Amber watched him cross the road and head into the Dailey Planet newspaper building from through the large café window. She stood for a moment with her eyebrows creased in confusion thinking about that man. He didn't look familiar, she was fairly certain she didn't know him. Perhaps he mistook her for someone else.

Finally acquiescent that she'd never met the man before Amber pulled her sleeves down over her hands and left the café.

…

The evening air was cold and the sunlight was quickly fading. Down in an alley way full of dumpsters Amber grovelled through each one searching for blankets. She pulled out a thick but dirty and ripped comforter from the last dumpster and rolled it up tightly. There was pile of other neatly rolled bedding which Amber had found in the dumpsters. Amber used her belt to tie the pile together and hoisted the bundle onto her back before staring up at the fire escape. Up. That's where she was going.

Even though the freezing metal made Amber's hands go dumb she kept climbing up the fire escape until she was finally at the top of the vertical ladder at the very top of the building.

Amber threw the belted bundle onto the roof before struggling over the edge herself. She collapsed with a thud on the ground sweating and a little shaky. Her breath spiralled up into the air as she exhaled and Amber frowned knowing it was going to get colder.

Her backpack was leaning against the large air-conditioning vent on the other side of the roof along with a pile of flattened cardboard boxes. Amber carried the bundle over to her backpack and unbuckled her belt letting the blankets fall in a heap on the ground, the neatness of which they were rolled disappearing in the pile.

Amber picked up the cardboard boxes first and got to work.

…

The noise of her teeth chattering uncontrollably rang in Amber's ears and she tried to wrap herself up tighter in her makeshift bed of dumpster blankets, cocooned by large sheets of cardboard. Her body shook and shivered violently, her skin feeling like it was pressed against snow.

Amber's little cocoon lay next to the air-conditioner vent, though it did little to stop the cold breeze. Until she found a place to live Amber was going to sleep on the roof tops. She came to the conclusion she was safer up there at night than down on the streets. It was only a few hours into Amber's first night on the rooftop but she honestly wondered if she would be able to withstand the cold that night alone.

The pitter-patter of raindrops made Amber open her eyes in dread. The rain came in fast and strong and soon enough the little cocoon bed was soaked through. Shivering and sniffing Amber began to cry feeling hopeless. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Wh-where the fuck am I supposed t-to go?" Amber's sniffing turned into sobbing, the loud rain drowning her voice out.

"I ju-just want to be home with you mum. I hope yo-you're safe. I hope dad hasn't hu-hurt you. I'm sorry I di-didn't stay and save you from him. Oh mum I wish I was in your arms right n-now!" Amber wailed as she hugged her legs for warmth. She sobbed and mumbled to herself while listening to the heavy raindrops hitting the rooftop.

"There you are. I've been looking for you."

The strong familiar voice cut through the rain and Amber stopped sobbing. She wasn't sure if she actually heard his voice or if she'd imagined it. Amber lifted the soggy blankets and cardboard up and looked out into the rain.

Superman stood on the ledge of the building opposite to her with his arms folded across his chest; the rain didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

"What are you doing here?" Amber asked sitting up, the cardboard and blankets folding back with a squelch.

"I could ask you the same question. I've come to take you to the hospital, like I promised I would last night." Superman said stepping off the ledge and drifting down onto the rooftop landing in front of Amber.

"How did you find me?" Amber asked clenching her jaw to stop her teeth chattering.

"When I found that you weren't at your apartment I went looking for you. I'd nearly lost hope of finding until I heard your voice through this rain." Superman said offering his hand out to Amber. She didn't register his outstretched hand; too many questions were clouding her mind.

"Why were you looking for me?" Amber asked squinting against the rain. Superman dropped his hand then lowered himself down onto his knees in front of Amber. He looked her in the eye sincerely. "I promised I'd take you to the hospital to make sure you were okay after what happened to you last night. I will not break that promise Miss Adderley."

"You can call me Amber."

Superman smiled at her and stood up offering his hand out to Amber again. She took it and he pulled her up out of the soggy bedding. The warmth of his hand made Amber's skin tingle. She thought about how warm she'd feel being wrapped up in Superman's cape again while he held her close. She longed to feel warm; her entire body was shaking like a leaf from the icy temperature.

"It's the middle of the night; hospitals are only open for emergencies right now." Amber said looking at Superman questioningly. "Don't worry, the doctor I'm taking you to is a friend of mine. He always works late. Shall we?" Superman responded picking up Amber's backpack and slinging it over one of his broad shoulders.

"May I?" he asked holding his hands out to Amber. She nodded thinking about how warm he'd feel again. Superman gently wrapped an arm around her waist and swooped down bringing his other arm up behind her legs. She was not disappointed when her skin started tingling as it warmed up.

Superman softly jumped up into the air. What caught Amber off guard was that gravity didn't bring him back down to the roof. It was a surreal moment, rising up into the sky. Amber buried her face in Superman's shoulder to avoid the heavy raindrops and even though he was warm she still shivered against the cold wind.

In what seemed like no time at all Amber felt Superman land and she lifted her head from his shoulder. He began walking through the front door of the Metropolis Hospital with Amber still in his arms.

"So what am I supposed to do in there? Ask for an X-ray or something?" Amber asked as Superman walked through the double doors.

Superman chuckled at her, "No, no. The doctor's knows what happened and he'll check you over, no X-rays needed. Once we're finished here I'm going to take you back home, I'm afraid I can't let you stay up on that roof top again. You'll catch your death in this weather."

Before Amber could say anything they'd reached the front desk .The tired looking receptionist jumped up wide eyed when she noticed Superman approaching the desk. "H-hello! Welcome to the Metropolis Hospital."

"Hello Miss, is Doctor Hugh Garcia still available?" Superman asked pleasantly. Amber was very aware that he was still holding her bridal style in front of the receptionist.

"Let me just phone is office" she said picking up the telephone headset from the desk. The phone call was answered and she smiled triumphantly at Superman.

"Hello Dr Garcia, its Melony from the front desk. I have someone here looking for you… Who? Well it's Superman actually… Yes. Yes I'll send him right up." She hung up the phone and smiled at Superman. "He's on floor four, exam room 107."

"Thank you Miss, have a pleasant night." Superman said with a charming smile before turning away and walking towards the lift with Amber.

"Are you going to carry me all the way there?" Amber asked as Superman walked into an empty lift. The doors closed silently and Superman raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you warm enough yet?" he asked chuckling at Amber's face going red. She mumbled a small yes and Superman lowered her to the ground.

"You can't take me back home after this… I don't live there anymore." Amber said looking at the buttons in the lift. Superman questioned her and tears slipped down her face as she recalled what had happened. Amber told Superman about the lifestyle she had with her mother and her father, and how her father treated them.

When she was finished and wiping her cheeks on her sleeve Superman put his hand on Amber's shoulder and told her not to worry about a thing. Before Amber could question him the lift doors opened up and they walked out into a small waiting area. Superman put Amber's backpack on one of the nearest seats and looked the place over.

"Room 107 is just down that corridor." He pointed to their right at the long eerie corridor. "I'll wait here until you're finished." He finished making himself comfortable on one of the seats.

"You'll wait for me?" Amber asked realizing her clothes were still wet from the rain. Superman looked completely dry aside from damp hair which surprising hadn't lost its shape. "I'll be right here when you are finished." He said with a reassuring smile.

Amber smiled back a little stunned then headed down the corridor he had motioned to before. She found the room and knocked on the door holding her breath until she heard someone on the other side. The door was opened by an older man who had small glasses on and a pen behind one ear.

"Ah! You must be Amber Adderley. Come in." The man stepped aside to let Amber in and she sat down on the examination table when he gestured to it. Doctor Garcia began checking Amber for concussion. He quietly checked over Amber's bruises and scrapes occasionally pushing a little too hard on a few of them making Amber hiss. Once he'd finished he smiled at Amber.

"Well I'm happy to say that aside from the bruises and scrapes you're completely fine Amber."

Amber sighed relieved, "Thank goodness for that. Thank you so much for seeing me Doctor."

"It was my pleasure. Take care of yourself, if I ever see you again I hope that it's not in here." He chuckled to himself and opened the door for Amber. She got up and left the room saying goodbye at the door.

Amber was happy to see that Superman was still waiting in the same seat as she walked back into the waiting room. He looked over at her and stood up with her backpack in his hand. "I'm finished now; he said I'm completely fine. You can take me ho-…you can take me back to where you picked me up from." Amber played with her fingers as she spoke.

Superman's eyebrows creased and he looked at Amber a little upset. "I cannot leave you on that rooftop Amber, you'll freeze in this weather."

"But I have nowhere else to go." Amber replied sharply. Much more defensive than she meant to. Superman put a hand on her shoulder and when she looked up at him she was surprised to see that he had a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "I said not to worry about a thing. I know somewhere else you can go."

"What like your place?" Amber snorted. She realized how rude she sounded and immediately dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I really appreciate everything you've done for me." Superman lifted her chin with a finger. "Apology accepted. Now, will you let me take you somewhere safe? I won't leave you alone until I know that you are." He looked at her sincerely and Amber felt hot tears fill her eyes and her face scrunched up. She immediately wrapped her arms around Superman's middle and buried her face in his chest so he couldn't see her crying. He wrapped his arms around her without saying a word.

The honestly she felt in Superman's words made Amber's mind overload with so many thoughts. Superman really did want to help her. He wanted, even needed Amber to be safe. She felt as if she wasn't just another face in the crowd of people he'd saved. A great amount of comfort pooled Amber when she realized that Superman cared about what happened to her after tonight. She sniffed a few times and pulled away to dry her eyes.

She looked up at him and with a hollow voice said, "Please take me somewhere safe." Superman put his arm around Amber's shoulders and together they walked towards the lift not saying another word to one another.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I apologise for this chapter being so incredibly short and any poor editing. Please take the time to review; I find it so motivating to get feedback! (A huge thankyou to pond2 for your review on the last chapter)**

Clark stretched. He stood with his arms spread out and stretched until his muscles released. His diaphragm pushed the air out of his lungs in a loud sigh as Clark straighten up and he shook his arms out while rolling his head to loosen his muscles and neck. The setting sun touched the horizon turning the sky a burnt orange and bright yellow which reflected in the lenses of Clark's glasses as he looked out over the city from his balcony. Simply enjoying the view and unwinding from the day he'd had.

As the sky got darker and the oranges and yellows changed to reds and blues Clark thought back to the girl from the subway. The men responsible had been taken to the police that night after she'd been taken to her home. Clark was glad there were a few less men like that on the streets of Metropolis. He hated writing stories at the Dailey Planet about that sort of thing, it made his blood boil and he had to be extra careful to not put his finger through the keys of the typewriter.

Clark wondered where the girl was right now. He hadn't expected to see her that afternoon, well, Clark Kent hadn't expected to see her. She'd noticed him staring at her but he knew she hadn't recognized him. She didn't know Clark, she hadn't met him, nor had Clark met her. They'd only seen each other from across the room of a café.

Clark loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, there was a promise made last night that needed to be kept. Clothes led a trail to the edge of the balcony where Clark, dressed in red and blue, stepped over the edge. Gravity pulled Clark down towards the ground; the sidewalk was getting closer and closer, until with a push that defied the laws of physics, he flew away as Superman.

Superman found the apartment just as it got dark. He hovered in the air and peered in through the brick walls. There was a man sitting at a kitchen table drinking an alarming amount of whiskey and the bedrooms were empty. Superman's gaze moved through the rest of the apartment, suddenly closing his eyes when he was a woman naked in the bathroom. "Beg your pardon ma'am," he said chagrined. It was obvious that the woman wouldn't hear his apology but Superman paid the same respect to people weather they could or couldn't hear, see or touch him.

The girl wasn't in the apartment. Superman hummed to himself thinking of where she could be. It was still quite early in the evening so she still could be on her way home. _The subway_. He flew to closest subway stop like a bullet and scanned through the people there. She was nowhere to be seen.

Superman flew in the direction of the city centre above the subway line using his vision to check every train that passed by heading to the south of the city. He'd reached the city centre and still had not seen her. "Where have you gotten to Miss Adderley?" He questioned looking down at the streets.

With a sigh Superman settled himself down on the top of a building just as rain started to fall. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He listened to the rain. He listened to each individual drop hitting the pavement below and the sound the water falling away from the clouds above. Superman began sifting through the noise of the rain; he heard thousands of people and cars, television sets, radios... He heard everything at once then he stripped each noise away piece by piece until finally, he found her.

The triumphant feeling in his stomach was immediately lost with dread when he heard her sobbing and crying. He zipped through the rain and was standing on the edge on the building the crying was coming from in seconds. He saw a pile of sodden blankets and cardboard and frowned.

"There you are. I've been looking for you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for how late this chapter was posted. Hope you all enjoy it. Please review any feedback.**

Amber opened her eyes when she was sure Superman had both his feet firmly planted on the ground. It had still been raining when they left the hospital and she was once again soaked through. Superman gently put Amber down and she looked around. They were standing on a balcony high up over the city. Straight in front of them were a glass patio door and an outdoor table set. The balcony was decorated with plants and ferns; it gave off a natural and ambient environment, probably to drown out the rush of the city.

"Whose place is this?" Amber asked as Superman walked towards the door, she followed a pace behind. "This is Lois Lane's apartment; she's a very good friend of mine. While you were with Doctor Garcia I slipped out to ask her a favour."

"And what favour was that?" Amber asked feeling that she already knew what the answer was. "I asked her if she'd be willing to let out her spare room to you." Superman said stopping with his hand on the door, "wait here while I get her." He disappeared behind the curtain on the other side before Amber could reply. Amber waited uneasily.

A few minutes later voices came from inside and the curtains suddenly slid open flooding the balcony with light. A woman rushed outside holding a folded towel. "Hello Amber, I'm Lois Lane. Please come inside," Lois wrapped the towel around Amber's shoulder as she ushered her inside. Superman was inside drying himself off with a towel.

"So Superman says that you're in need of a place to stay" Lois said waving them to the kitchen table. "Yes I do. I, uh, I recently moved out of home." Amber said, she sat next to Superman and across from Lois. Superman cleared his throat, "I didn't tell you the details Lois as I didn't feel like it was my right."

"That makes sense, just one question, how do you two know each other?" Lois asked looking from face to face waiting for an answer. Amber was the one to reply, "He saved me from being beaten to death in a subway station a few nights ago. How do you two know each other?" Amber shot back. "Oh I do most of the Superman related stories and interviews for the Dailey Planet, I'm a journalist." Lois said not even flinching at Amber's previous words.

"Lois said she's willing to give you somewhere to stay while you find your feet, so to speak." Superman included sensing Amber's defensiveness. "But he didn't say anything else about my situation?" Amber asked still looking at Lois.

Lois shook her head and Amber pursed her lips together. "Well Lois I appreciate your generosity, but I feel that it's only fair that you know why I'm in this situation before you offer your spare room to me." At Amber's words Lois straightened up and gave her full attention. "I come from the south of the city and I can imagine you know the reputation of that area. My father is the perfect example of a man from Southey; an abusive alcoholic. Yesterday morning he'd come home drunk and attacked my mother and I. This isn't unusual for him." Amber added noticing Lois's horrified expression. Superman sat emotionless listening through Amber's story again.

"During this drunken episode he tried to stab me with a kitchen knife, my mother knocking him unconscious with a chair was what saved me. That was the final straw for my mother and she told me I needed to leave. She wasn't kicking me out; she was making me leave because she feared so much for my safety and felt she could no longer protect me from my father. Everything happened so quickly, first I was just with my mother at home then the next thing I know I was climbing down the fire escape while listening to my mother try to stop my father from tearing the place apart looking for me." Amber wiped a stray tear from her face.

"Amber, how old are you?" Lois asked quietly.

"I'm 18" Amber watched Lois's eyes drop down to her hands that sat folded on the table. Lois looked up again, "You say your father is an alcoholic and the physical abuse is normal, what happens during these episodes?"

Amber took a breath, "during the episodes he's incredibly unpredictable. If he ever advanced on me my mother would immediately be there to distract him long enough for me to run away. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn't." Amber gave an answer that didn't give enough details to completely answer the question.

"And where are your parents now?"

"Still at the apartment, I asked my mother to come with me but for her own reasons, which I don't understand, she didn't. My father's probably at work right now, he's a brick layer."

There was a long silence. Lois mulled over everything Amber had told her and Amber sat staring at her fingernails. Finally Lois spoke and Amber looked up at her, "Amber I don't think I could live with myself if I turned you away in your hour of need, regardless of how you ended up in this situation. So if you're comfortable with it, I'd like you to stay here for as long as you need."

Amber felt her arms and legs to heavy; she hadn't expected that answer. Her mouth quirked up into a smile and she laughed breathlessly. "What really?" Lois nodded with a smile. "Oh thank you so much Lois!" Amber cried standing up and hugging her over the table. Lois returned hug and patted Amber's back.

Superman finally broke his long silence, "Thank you for doing this Lois. For Amber and myself, I'll sleep much better tonight knowing that she's safe. Now I'm sorry to be so rude but I need to get going." He stood up and headed for the door, Lois and Amber followed suite. Superman turned back to Amber and smiled at her, "Take care of yourself Amber." Amber walked over and literally jumped up to wrap her arms around Superman's neck and hugged him tightly, she felt his arms slide up around her which held her up. "I'll always be around if you ever need me." He whispered in her ear before letting her slide back to the ground.

Lois went red when Superman gingerly bent down and kissed her on the cheek, "Goodnight Lois. Thank you for your help." Lois's hand came up and touched the cheek he'd just kissed and she let out the slightest giggle. "Goodnight Superman."

Superman walked out the door, closing it behind him and was gone. The two women stood in silence staring at the door for a few moments, as if waiting for him to walk back in again. A rather large sigh from Lois broke the silence and she turned and smiled at Amber. "Tomorrow I don't have work so we can go out and buy you some bits and pieces to make your stay here a little homier." Amber smiled, very aware that her clothing was soaked.

"Yeah some new dry clothes would be great." Amber laughed. "Thank you again Lois, for letting me stay here" Amber added seriously. "Honestly its fine sweetie!" Lois said soothingly, "Now come on, I'll show you around the place. Oh, also, Superman left your backpack in the spare room for you."

Lois gave Amber a quick tour of the apartment, and then bid her goodnight at the door of the spare room. Amber walked in and closed the door letting out a long controlled breath. The spare room had a double bed, with a matching vanity and chest of drawers. There was a window next to the bed from which the city lights twinkled.

Next to the vanity was a door, Amber immediately thought it was a wardrobe but was quite surprised to find an ensuite bathroom when she looked inside. There was a stack of folded towels on a shelf and her backpack sat next to the sink. The shower beckoned to Amber and her skin grew goose bumps thinking about how warm the water would be. She stripped down, kicked her clothes into a corner and got in letting the heat from the water seep into her skin.

Enveloped in a thick towel Amber unpacked her backpack and hung her wet clothes as best she could in the ensuite. Everything else from her backpack she placed on top of the chest of drawers. Too tired to comb her hair Amber climbed into bed with her damp towel still wrapped around her and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

…

Amber woke up the next morning feeling warm and cosy in Lois's soft spare bed. She sat up and shifted her matted hair out of her face. Sunlight was shining through a gap in the curtains so Amber got up and opened them. She basked in the warmth for a few moments enjoying the light on her face and shoulders. Her clothes were still wet when Amber checked them and she left the ensuite chewing her lip in thought. Amber had no clothes to wear. She spotted the bed sheets and dropped the wrinkled towel from her body and wrapped the bed sheet around herself.

She left the room and found Lois outside sitting at the table having a morning coffee and a cigarette. Lois looked up as she exhaled a cloud of smoke, "good morning Amber." Amber shifted her hair out of her face again "morning Lois, I'm sorry to ask this but all of my clothes are wet from last night and I was wondering if I could borrow something of yours until they're dry?" Lois laughed "I'm sure I've got something that'll fit you." She got out of her seat and walked inside with Amber following closely.

"I'll take you to the drycleaners so we can get your things washed and pressed. While we're waiting for your clothes we can go shopping and get you some new ones if you like." Lois said from inside her walk in wardrobe. Amber sat on the edge of the bed chewing her lip. "Oh that's very nice of you, I really do need some new clothes" Amber replied as Lois walked out with an armful of clothing. She dumped it all on the bed next to Amber. "I'll let you pick out what you'd like to wear. I'll be outside if you need me." Lois left the room, closing the door behind her and Amber began looking through the clothes.

Lois was in her twenties and her fashion sense was very stylish. The brands of clothing she wore Amber knew were expensive, most of the stores that stocked these brands Amber had never bothered going into. In the pile she found a little green coloured dress that buttoned up down the front. Amber put it on and found that it fit her quite well, she felt fancy wearing such a nice piece of clothing. There was large mirror that covered most of the wall next to the front door that Amber admired herself in. She pulled her hair up into a high bun then went to the spare room and found a damp pair of underwear which she put in with a groan. The damp bra was too much for Amber so she hung it back up and went without it for the day.

Lois was crushing her cigarette when Amber walked out and joined her at the table.  
"Let's get breakfast out today; I'm in no mood to cook. I'll go get ready and you can get your clothes and put them in a plastic bag from under the kitchen sink" Lois said finishing her cup of coffee. Amber nodded at Lois before getting up and heading back inside once again.

…

Lois scrunched the dry cleaning ticket into her purse as they sat down at a table outside a café. A waiter whisked over and took their orders cheerily. It was a sunny day and there were birds singing in the trees and Amber leant back in her seat smiling. Lois noticed and raised her eyebrow questioningly, "It's just such a nice day" Amber said watching a toddler happily run along the sidewalk away from his flustered mother.

The waiter returned with their orders' and a jug of orange juice that Lois insisted must be freshly squeezed. They ate and chatted about all sorts before venturing off to apartment stores which Lois new very well. Lois noticed that Amber mainly looked at the clothing on the sales racks so she was mindful of the price range of each store they went to. She took Amber from place to place until the early afternoon, where they walked down the streets of Metropolis both with three to four bags in each hand.

As they walked down the street towards the drycleaners Amber slowed down to stare at a blue dress in a shop window. Lois smiled and nudged her "want to try it on?"

"I'd never go anywhere nice enough to wear it" Amber said shrugging. "Oh come on! You never know." Lois replied grabbing Amber's arm and pulling her into the shop. The sales assistant not only got the blue dress from the window but also pulled out two other dresses from the racks for Amber to try on.

The dress from the window was a dark blue, scoop neck evening gown. It had an accordion chiffon skirt and long cuffed chiffon sleeves.

"It looks beautiful" Amber breathed as she stood on a stool facing three large mirrors outside of the change rooms. "No Amber you look beautiful" Lois said smiling with one hand on her cheek. "We'll take it!" she said to the sales assistant who nodded with a smile. She took it to be wrapped when Amber had changed.

"Lois I can't afford that dress." Amber murmured as they walked over to the desk. The other two dresses forgotten. "Don't worry sweetie I'll pay for it." Lois said searching for her purse, Amber immediately went to refuse but Lois tossed the other bags at her and payed before Amber could stop her.

Amber thanked Lois over and over on the way home and Lois promised to take Amber something where she could wear it. The two women practically fell through the door into a sea of shopping bags, dry cleaning and receipts when they got back to the apartment.

Amber took all her bags to the spare room and dropped them on the floor by the bed. She'd planned to put everything on the bed but her grip on the bags slipped before she made it there and just settled for where the items landed. She dug through the pile and put away all her freshly cleaned clothes into the chest of drawers. Next Amber put her new toiletries in the ensuite and found the shoeboxes containing her new shoes. She'd bought three pairs: boots, evening shoes and a casual pair of lace ups to replace her old set which had holes and splits in the soles.

She tried each pair on again and admired them in the wall mirror. The boots were made out of brown leather and had a small buckle by the ankle. The lace ups were made of white cotton material and Amber tossed her old pair straight into the garbage. The evening shoes were platform, close-toed, heels with a thin clasp that went around the ankle. They were cream coloured and Amber carefully walked around the apartment getting used to the height of the heel.

Each new item of clothing she tried on and admired once more before taking the tags off and putting them away. Amber had spent more money than she wanted to but she really did need a new wardrobe of clothing that fit her properly and that weren't worn through, so she promised herself not to spend any more money until she'd found a job.

Once the room was back to its original state Amber changed into a fresh smelling pair of old flared jeans and a blouse then star fished out on the bed. She blinked tiredly staring at the ceiling and soon dozed off. The smell of cooking food stirred Amber from her nap and she got up to find Lois in the kitchen cooking dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Please leave a review, feedback is welcome.**

It had been three days since Amber had been dropped into Lois's life and she found she quite liked the busy reporter. Lois had stayed out or stayed up late working on a story the last two nights so Amber had taken it upon herself to cook dinner. She wanted to thank Lois for letting her stay and also help out in any way she could. Lois had been very appreciative that Amber had cooked; Amber got the impression Lois didn't cook much.

On the third evening the two women were sitting in front of the television set painting their nails and watching the news. Lois would add in snippets of information about the stories which the news reporter didn't mention. Amber was surprised at how much the small pieces of information changed the story. They were giggling over a story Lois was telling when her telephone rang. The loud chimes cut through their giggles and Lois got up to answer it.

Amber watched the commercials as Lois spoke on the phone; she tried to focus on the television but still picked up snippets of the conversation. "I can't go to Rome, I have…yes chief I understand, are you sure no one else can do it?" Amber's head twitched at Lois's words but she managed to keep herself from turning and eyeing Lois. "When would I be heading over?...Tomorrow at 8am! Okay, okay, yes I understand. See you tomorrow morning." Lois hung up the telephone and walked back over to Amber. Lois sat down on the sofa that Amber was in front of. She turned and looked up at Lois, "Everything okay?"

"Not really Amber. That was my boss, Perry White. Apparently there's a huge drug scandal going on in Rome which he wants me to cover. He wants me to fly over there tomorrow morning to start getting leads for the story." Lois said troubled. Amber could see Lois's dilemma, while there was a story she needed to pursue in Rome there was guest in her apartment she had agreed to take care of.

"You'd be more comfortable with me staying somewhere else while you're over there." Amber stated. Lois smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry Amber I can't get out of this story. Mr White has already booked the plane tickets."

"Lois its fine, I completely understand. I wouldn't expect you to put your career on hold because I was staying in your apartment. I'll just book a hotel; do you know how long you'll be over there for?" Amber said blowing on her freshly painted nails.

"Honestly I can't even give you an estimate. Because it's so early in this scandal there's almost no information about it. I have to start from just about nothing for this story." Lois replied reaching for her packet of cigarettes. Amber hummed in thought; staying long term in a hotel would be very costly.

Lois shook her lighter trying to get it to light, "Damn thing. I should quit smoking; you know they say it can cause lung cancer." Lois said with a cigarette pressed between her lips. Suddenly she looked up with a cry, "Oh! I know someone who might help us." Amber, who was chewing the inside of her cheek, raised an eyebrow in question.

"I work with this guy; he's really dull but super nice." Lois said putting the cigarette back in the packet.

"Guy?" Amber questioned.

"I work with a man called Clark Kent, he's such a sweet guy. You'll really like him. Anyway, he might be able to help us out with this situation."

"Are you suggesting I stay with a total stranger while you're overseas?" Amber asked disbelievingly. "If you're comfortable with it, I'll call him right now." Lois said not looking up. Amber was speechless, her mouth hung open for a few moments until she snapped it shut. She was far from comfortable with the idea of staying at a stranger's house, no matter how well Lois knew him.

Amber didn't get another chance to say anything as Lois was already punching in a number into her telephone. Lois tapped her foot on the floor waiting for an answer. Finally she spoke, "Clark! Hi, it's Lois. Could you come over tonight? I need to ask you a favour. Thanks, bye!" It sounded to Amber like Lois barely let the man speak before she hung the phone up and walked back over to Amber smiling.

"Right, while we're waiting for Clark, would you like to help me pack for Rome?" Lois asked tucking her hair behind her ears. "Oh, um, I'll help in a minute, I just need some air" Amber said heading for the balcony door before Lois could answer. The door shut with a snap and Amber let out a growl. How dare Lois think she was okay with staying at a stranger's house. _Not in a million years!_ She thought to herself.

"You said you'd be around if I ever needed you. I need someone to talk to, does that count?" Amber whispered out into the cold night air. She didn't expect Superman to appear in front of her, she didn't expect anything. She just kept talking out loud. "How do I know I can trust this Clark friend of Lois's? Well I can't. He's a total stranger! Even if I do meet him tonight that doesn't change a thing. I don't know what to do; I don't think I have any other options. What would you do if you were me? I wish I wasn't in this situation." Amber scuffed her feet on the ground and rested her chin on her palm, and her elbow on the balcony ledge.

"Do you think my opinion would help?" his strong voice cut through Amber's thoughts and she spun around startled. Superman was flying downwards, his feet touching the ground after a few moments. Superman walked towards Amber and moved some hair out of her face. "You look much better than when last I saw you."

His comment didn't register with Amber; she just stared at him wide eyed "did- did you hear me?" Superman shrugged, "I was passing by and I recognised your voice." He moved away and strolled around the balcony. "So what would you do if you were in my situation?" Amber asked Superman. He turned and smiled, "Well I happen to know Clark Kent, he's a good friend of mine. I trust him as much as I trust Lois."

"So you're saying that because you know and trust Clark Kent I should too?" Amber asked defensively. Superman laughed which confused Amber, "absolutely not Amber, I just hope my opinion eases your worries. Weather you decide to trust Clark is entirely up to you." Superman was back in front of Amber now and she sighed.

"I don't see a point in trusting people, you get hurt no matter what" Amber said looking down at her feet. Superman lifted her chin so she was looking into his bold, blue eyes, "trusting in people is everything Amber." He said earnestly before stepping away and disappearing into the night just as Lois opened the balcony door.

"Is everything okay Amber? You've been out here for a while now" Lois asked looking worried. Amber walked towards her, "Yeah I'm fine, just worried Clark won't like me I guess." She slipped passed Lois and into the apartment not seeing Lois's lips purse together.

Amber was packing clothes into Lois's suitcase when they heard knocking from the front door. "That's him." Lois said throwing the dresses she held up by the hangers on the bed. Amber followed her out to the front door. "Just wait on the sofa sweetie" Lois said to Amber as she checked her hair and teeth in the wall sized mirror.

"Sure." Amber said simply as she quickly stepped over to the sofa. She tensely sat on the edge of the cushion and listened to the door open.

"Hi Clark, come on in."

"Hi Lois, it was nice to get a phone call from you, even if it was this late. How are you?"

Amber stood up when Lois walked over with a tall man wearing glasses following closely behind her.  
"I'm great thanks Clark. Listen, I want you to meet somebody. This is Amber." Lois said motioning to Amber. She smiled blasé, and Clark stared at her for a moment then smiled, "oh, hello Amber, I'm Clark Kent."

"Hi Clark, it's nice to meet you." Amber noticed he had very blue eyes hidden behind the glasses he wore. "Clark would you like a drink?" Lois said drawing his attention back to her. "Oh yes thanks Lois, just a glass of water would be great." He said looking at her almost captivated, though Lois didn't notice.

"Amber would you like something?" She asked tucking hair behind her ear. Amber nodded, "water for me as well, thank you."

"Okay, well make yourselves' comfortable and I'll be right back." Lois disappeared into the kitchen and Amber sat down on the sofa while Clark sat opposite to her on a recliner. She studied him properly. He was tall but hunched over a little, he had a strong jawline, his hair was very neat and he wore a plain suit. Lois had mentioned something about him being very dull and Amber had to admit his dress sense was a little flat, but he didn't look dull to her. In fact something about him was very familiar. Amber couldn't figure out what it was but it was there, like an itch she couldn't scratch.

"So" he cleared his throat and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "How do you know Lois?" He asked. "I've been living with her the past few days, Superman introduced me to her" Amber said as Lois returned with three glasses of water. "Superman asked me to lend my spare room to her as a favour, she needed somewhere to stay until she found herself a job and place to live" Lois said putting the glasses on the coffee table.

"Oh I see, that was awfully kind of you Lois." Clark said taking one of the glasses. "I was happy to do it," Lois said smiling at Amber who returned the smile, "But we've got a bit of a problem. The chief called me earlier tonight. He needs me to fly to Rome tomorrow morning to cover a story there and Amber needs somewhere to stay while I'm gone."

Amber watched Clark's face; he nodded as Lois spoke, looked back at Amber and was silent for a few moments. "When do you leave Lois?"

"Tomorrow morning at eight" Lois said not at all surprised with how surprised Clark looked. "Ah. Well doesn't really give us any time to get to know each other Amber." Clark said looking back at Amber who hummed her agreement. "Well…I suppose I can help you out Amber, if you're comfortable with staying with me." Clark said to Amber who studied him again. She thought about what Superman had said but deep down she knew she didn't really have a choice.

"That is very generous of you Clark, I'm very grateful." Amber's words made Clark smile, "well it's settled then." Lois cried out happily, "oh thank you Clark!" Clark grinned and Amber noticed the captivated twinkle in his eyes again. She could see Clark liked Lois. More than just work colleagues.

"Thank you Clark, I promise I'll stay out of your way while I'm there." Amber said squeezing her finger to stop the grin she felt coming on at Clark's love filled gaze on Lois. "Oh I doubt you'd get underfoot Amber," Clark said politely. "So what are the arrangements?"

"Well I need to go to the Planet to pick up my plane tickets tomorrow morning so I was thinking I could drop Amber off there and she could go home with you at the end of the day?" Lois asked both Clark and Amber. Amber just nodded her agreement with a shrug while Clark verbally agreed that that plan would work just fine.

"So, do you need a ride to the airport?" Clark asked hopefully. "Oh no that's okay Clark I'll take a cab." Lois said finishing her water; Amber couldn't help but feel bad for Clark. It was a sweet thing to offer but she could see it wasn't the way to get Lois's attention.

"Anyway I should get back to packing. Please excuse me." Lois got up and left Amber alone with Clark. She took a sip of water and looked down at her hands not knowing what to say. When she finally looked up Clark was studying her, he smiled when their eyes met. "I suppose you need to go pack some things too." Clark said putting his empty glass down.

"Yes, I suppose I do." Amber replied distantly, thinking about the clothes she'd like to pack. She snapped out of the thought and focused back on Clark. "Thank you for this Clark, it's incredibly nice of you. I'm very grateful" Amber was going to continue but Clark waved his hand dismissively,  
"My parents raised me to be kind. I'm sure if the roles were reversed you'd do the same thing. You seem like a very nice young lady Amber." Clark's words made Amber laugh, "That's sweet of you to say." Clark smiled then straightened up,

"Amber that I understand the idea of staying with a total stranger is uncomfortable and normally you wouldn't do it but I can see that this is your only option so I want you to know that you can ask me anything and that I don't want to be a stranger to you. I want you to be comfortable staying in my home."

Amber was quite taken aback by Clark's upfront honesty, "thank you Clark." She murmured.

"Anyway, it's getting late I better get going. It was lovely meeting you Amber." Clark stood up and there was as awkward pause where neither of them knew weather to hug or shake hands. Amber giggled and they settled for shaking hands and Clark smiled before adjusting his glasses.

"I'll just say goodbye to Lois. Goodnight Amber."

"Goodnight Clark." Amber said. She picked up the empty glasses and took them to the kitchen. Clark knocked of Lois's bedroom door and she opened it within seconds.

"Oh are you heading off?" Lois said coming out of the bedroom and closing the door behind her. "Yes I just wanted to say good luck with the story."

"Thank you Clark, and thank you for helping me out with Amber. I owe you one" Lois said reaching up and giving him a quick hug which caught Clark off guard, he brought one arm up around her before Lois pulled away still smiling. "Goodnight Clark" Lois said stepping away from him. "Goodnight Lois, have a safe trip." Clark said as Lois walked back into her bedroom. Not for the first time, Clark saw himself out.

Amber looked at the tattered backpack; it was far too small to fit everything she needed into it. Luckily Lois had a spare suitcase in her wardrobe. She pulled it out, shook off the dust bunnies and gave it to Amber. It was huge, coming up to Amber's hip. She managed to fit everything she needed, including toiletries which made Amber very happy. One bag, little fuss. The zipper closed the lid of the suitcase smoothly and Amber put it by the front door before snuggling into bed to get as much sleep as possible before being woken up early to next morning by Lois. Though she wasn't comfortable with staying at Clark's she knew it was her only option so Amber decided to go with it and keep herself out of the way until Lois got back.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Review please! Hope you all enjoy this chapter, planting a little seed of a certain couple ;)**

Amber was stirred from her sleep in the early hours of the morning by the rapping of knuckles on the bedroom door. "Amber are you up yet? We have to leave soon!" Lois's voice was muffled through the wood of the door but Amber still heard her clearly. Amber groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up "yeah I'm awake, I'll be ready soon!" she called back. Lois walked away as Amber flung the blankets off her legs and slid out of bed. She got dressed quickly shivering as the cold air surrounded her bare skin.

Amber walked out of the spare room with her handbag over a shoulder and a coat hung over her arm to find Lois rushing from room to room. She was unplugging electrical appliances and locking windows. "Hey Amber could you lock the window in the spare room and unplug anything you've got plugged into the wall sockets?"

"Sure thing Lois" Amber put her things down on the recliner and walked back to the spare room, she'd heard about house fires starting from appliances left plugged in and did as Lois asked. Amber was tidying the room when she heard Lois call to her from the living room.

"You have enough time to eat something here for breakfast or you can get something later on at The Planet, I'm sure Clark will take you out for food." Lois said as she wriggled the plug for her television set out of the wall socket. "Um… I'll grab some toast here." Amber wanted to be as little nuisance as possible to Clark and asking him to take her out for food was the opposite of that.

Amber quickly plugged the toaster back in and put in a slice of bread. She pushed the lever down and pulled out a jar of jam from the cupboard. Soon the toaster popped and Amber spread a thick layer of jam over the hot piece of toast and ate it over the sink to catch any crumbs. She was wiping down the bench when Lois called out to her it was time to leave so Amber finished up and left the kitchen, only to double back and unplug the toaster.

Lois was applying compact powder to her face in the wall mirror when Amber joined her. She snapped the lid shut, put it back into her handbag and smiled at Amber "alright let's go." They locked the door and carried their suitcases down the corridor to the lift, wrapping themselves up in their coats as they waited for the doors to open.

Lois hailed a taxi and when they arrived out the front of the Dailey Planet she was quite stern with the driver to stay put while she took Amber upstairs and to get her plane tickets from Perry White.

Amber pulled her suitcase out of the trunk and tugged it along as she followed Lois into the building; there were only two people in the lobby including a security guard who nodded at Lois as she passed him. They rode the lift up several floors and Amber followed Lois's quick pace down a few corridors and into the 'heart' of that floor. The room was large and open, offices were divided off by glass walls and the area was filled with desks set out in groups. Lois's headed straight for the largest office, inside which an older man sat at a desk. He had white hair and a permanent frown.

"Just put your stuff down at my desk; that one just there. And make yourself comfortable, Clark should be arriving at about seven. I just need to go collect a few things from the Chief." Lois said slowing her pace enough to finish her sentence before rapping on the glass door. The man waved her in and Amber dropped her suitcase next to Lois's desk with a huge sigh shaking her aching arms.

Looking around Lois's desk Amber noticed how vigorous the woman was with her work. _No wonder she spends whole nights out following stories_ , Amber thought while leafing through a pile of what looked like interview notes.

Lois returned holding a yellow envelope and she tucked some hair behind her ear. "Okay, I need to get going, I'll be in touch. Be nice to Clark." Amber wrapped her arms around Lois "good luck with the story." She felt Lois give her a tight squeeze in return "see you soon Amber." Lois broke away from the hug and swiftly left the room leaving Amber alone. Amber shrugged off her coat and sat down at the desk. She put her head in her arms and watched the daylight go brighter from out the window.

…

"Lois! Good morning Lois!" Clark waved at the brunette who just walked out of the lifts. "Oh hi Clark, sorry but I can't stop and chat. I can't miss this plane." Lois said to Clark as she offhandedly waved the yellow envelope at him.  
"Oh that's alright. I just wanted to say good luck with the story and I was hoping, well, when you get back that is, maybe we could go out to dinner sometime?" Clark asked with a nervous smile. "When I get back I'll give you a call and we'll organise something, sound good?" Lois asked noticing Clark's face light up. The taxi waiting for Lois beeped impatiently and Lois looked over to it alarmed, "Sorry Clark but I really need to go, thank you for helping me out with Amber. I'll see you soon." She quickly dashed out of the lobby and got into the taxi not giving Clark a chance to answer. Clark watched the taxi drive away and out of sight with a small smile on his face. He was going to have dinner with _Lois Lane_! Clark turned on his heels and headed for the lifts thinking of somewhere nice he could take her.

…

Amber was doodling on a piece of paper when Clark arrived. He walked in with his briefcase in one hand and his coat hanging over his arm. He spotted Amber immediately and smiled at her as he walked over. "Hello Amber. How are you?" Clark asked as he hung his coat and fedora on a coat stand nearby. "I'm good thanks, a little tired still." Amber stood up and cracked her neck.

Clark walked past with his briefcase still in one hand but tripped on Amber's suitcase which sat next to the desk and in the way. Clark's foot hit the suitcase, kicking it over, and he stumbled losing his balance. He let out an off balance 'whoa' as he fell, letting go of his briefcase and hitting the floor heavily on his shoulder. Clark's glasses bounced and landed on the floor a few feet away, one of the lenses cracking on impact. Amber jumped up and knelt down next to Clark, "Oh my god Clark! Are you okay?" She helped him sit up and Clark rubbed his temple with one hand and kept his head low. "Oh yes I'm fine, can you see my glasses anywhere?"

Amber scrambled around on the floor until she found them, the relief in her stomach iced over when she noticed the cracked lens. "Oh shit. They're cracked, Clark I'm so sorry." Amber said looking over at Clark with the sides of her mouth pulling down. Her stomach twisted in dread and she prepared for Clark to look up at her angrily. She'd just caused Clark to trip over and crack his glasses, there was no way he wouldn't be angry with her.

"That's okay Amber; I have a spare pair in my briefcase. Could you bring it over to me?" Clark said still not looking up. "Uh… sure" Amber said getting up after a confused pause. She found his briefcase nearby and brought it over to him.

Clark took the briefcase and fumbled around with the clamps until it opened. Amber stood watching as he dug around in the briefcase until he found his spare pair of glasses. He slid them on then looked up at Amber with a smile on his face. His spare pair was identical to his regular pair.

Clark stood up and brushed his jacket off. "Good as new" he said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Amber looked at him worried "I'm so sorry Clark. I shouldn't have left the suitcase there, are you okay?" The fear lacing Amber's words made her voice quiet. Clark noticed and put a hand on her shoulder, "honestly Amber I'm fine, nothing wrong but a cracked lens which I can get fixed later today." Clark assured her.

"Oh… well okay then. Here are your glasses." She handed the broken pair to Clark who tucked them inside his jacket pocket. Amber studied Clark for a few moments letting herself process everything that had just happened.

Growing up with a father like Doug, Amber, from a young age, had become accustomed to anger as the only emotion shown if she ever did something wrong. Punishments would always include yelling and breaking things, and sometimes Amber getting physically abused. In Amber's eyes getting yelled at was normal, and Clark's 'no harm done' attitude really confused Amber and threw her off. She was in unknown waters.

Clark put his briefcase down on a desk that was across from Lois's and began unpacking it. Amber took a moment to breathe gently then bent down and picked up her suitcase. She looked around for somewhere to put it for the day. "Would you like me to put that in a storage cupboard?" Clark asked eyeing the suitcase. "No thanks, I'll do it. Where is a storage cupboard?" Amber tried to sound casual as she held up the heavy suitcase. Clark silently pointed to one and she began lugging it over, again, trying to not look like she was struggling with the weight.

Clark chuckled at Amber, "are you sure?"

"No it's fine really, I can manage." Amber said not looking back at Clark. She missed the raised eyebrow Clark gave her and he crossed his arms. Amber lugged it a little further then put it down with a loud thud and exhale. Clark chuckled again and walked over to help, "I insist" he said standing in front of Amber. "Oh fine" she said politely as possible rubbing her hands together.

Clark lifted the suitcase with two hands. He exhaled loudly with a small 'wow' then carried the suitcase over to the closest storage cupboard. Clark disappeared inside for a few minutes then remerged wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "I can see why you were struggling so much, that thing was ridiculously heavy." Clark said once he was back at his desk. Amber laughed and quietly apologized though Clark just smiled at her shaking his head while taking a few more papers out of his briefcase.


	8. Chapter 8

Amber spent the morning in the Daily Planet sitting at Lois's desk bored out of her mind. She was too tired to do much so she laid her head in her arms on the desk and listened to the world around her. Perry White yelled at people in his office, people bustled around, typewriters clicked and dinged away and phone rang quite a lot. What Amber wanted was a cup of coffee and a nice comfortable sofa to nap on.

At noon Clark took Amber out for lunch. He insisted on paying for her meal to which Amber tried to refuse but he had paid before she could pull her purse out of her handbag. Amber thanked Clark profusely which made him sigh with a smile. All he said on the subject was "my treat Amber."

Over lunch they talked and got to know one another a little more. Clark watched Amber pull the pickles out of her cheeseburger as he took a bite out of his own. "So Amber tell me about yourself, where are you from?" Clark asked between mouthfuls. "I'm from the south of the city, how about you?"

"Smallville, Kansas. I grew up on a farm."

Amber raised her eyebrows. "Huh, I did not get that impression at all." Her comment made Clark smirk, "I get that a lot. So do you have any brothers of sisters?"

"No I don't. What about you?"

"My parents were unable to have children so they adopted me. I guess my neighbour Lana was the closest thing I had to a sibling. We always got into trouble together." Clark said. His eyes distant.

"I did have one friend when I was little, but she moved away." Amber replied thinking back to her childhood. Her friend was called Daisy. She was small with red hair and always wore the same rainbow coloured gumboots. Amber's reminiscing made her smile. Daisy loved the rain; it meant puddles and raincoats and splashing about in the streets.

"Have you ever been out to the country?" Clark asked, bringing Amber back from her little trip down memory lane. "No, only seen pictures. I've always wondered what it'd be like walking through the fields when the corn is really tall." Amber said dipping a fry into some ketchup. "It's disorientating. I've gotten lost in corn fields more times than I care to say." Clark's light laugh was lost amongst Amber's giggle.

"Well I know who to call if I ever get lost in one" Amber said taking a gulp of soda. "So how long have you been a reporter?"

"I've been working at the Daily Planet for a few years now. That's where I met Lois, she showed me around on my first day. I made a fool of myself, as usual." Clark said adjusting his glasses.

"What happened?" Amber asked intrigued and Clark chuckled to himself. "I opened Mr White's soda for him and it fizzed over. It went everywhere- you can thank Lois for that though! She hit the bottle on the desk to loosen the lid for me." Clark added when he noticed Amber stifling a laugh.

"So how did you meet Lois, you mentioned something about Superman?" Clark asked, closing off the last subject. Amber took a long breath to collect her thoughts. Telling Lois the truth was important to Amber because she was staying with Lois for the foreseeable future. But she felt differently about Clark, he didn't need to know the fine details.

"Superman helped me through a difficult situation recently. I ended up needing somewhere to stay while I was looking for work and he called in a favour from Lois." Amber moved the pickles around on her empty plate as she spoke.

"It's good to hear Lois helped you out. She's a very nice person. Very…close with Superman." Clark said furrowing his eyebrows. "Yeah I could see that when he kissed her cheek goodbye the night I met her." Amber added watching Clark. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and cleared his throat. "I think we better get going now. I still need to get my glasses fixed." Clark stood up and fished a tip out of his pants pocket. The feelings Clark had for Lois became a little clearer to Amber. She put her jacket on and followed Clark out the diner.

As they were leaving Clark bumped into a table spilling someone's milkshake and tried to pull on the door that had 'push' clearly written on it. Amber shook her head smiling. She didn't know Clark all that well yet but his clumsiness was oddly comforting. Like she knew he could easily be intimidating if he tried but his personality was the complete opposite of aggressive.

After Clark got his glasses mended they headed back to The Daily Planet. At the doors of the lobby Amber decided she wanted to walk around the city to pass the time quicker. Clark scribbled down a phone number for her to use if she needed it and they parted ways. Amber strolled up the busy street with her hands in her jacket pockets. She explored an apartment store for a while leaving when a group of sales assistances kept trying to get her to try the cosmetics they were selling. She smelt of several different perfumes and even had been given a sample palette of blush that was ' _perfectly blended to her skin tone_ '. Amber snorted; she didn't even know what that meant!

…

The afternoon light was warm and golden. Amber was sitting on a bench resting her aching feet. Her new shoes weren't quite broken in yet and they were rubbing giving her a small blister on each of her little toes. She watched people walk past her going about their lives. One particularly grumpy man glowered at her as he walked past. It was enough to send Amber into a small panic and she got up and walked back to the Daily Planet in minutes.

Clark was in Perry White's office when Amber arrived. She sat down at Lois's chair and watched him through the glass. He was hunched over as usual and Perry waved his hands about before sending him out. Clark stammered a "yes Mr White" as he shut the door. Amber waved with a closed mouth smile when Clark noticed her. "Your boss sure does ride everyone pretty hard here." Said resting her elbows on the desk as Clark sat down. He hummed a sort of reply and Amber chuckled quietly to herself.

Amber doodled on a black sheet of paper for a while, writing her signature in different ways and scribbling little tornadoes.

"Olsen! Get in here!"

Perry White's yell jolted through Amber, startling her. She looked around and saw Clark trying to hide a smirk. She was about to say something to him but a man rushing past Clark and into Perry's office past caught her attention. Amber could hear Perry's loud barking from where she sat and the man retreated from the office nodding his head at Perry.

"Yes Chief. You got it; I'll be right on to it."

The man closed the door and puffed his cheeks as he let out a sigh. "Mr White giving you a hard day Jimmy?" Clark asked looking up from his typewriter. The man walked over and leant against the desk. He was younger than many of the other people Amber had seen in the Daily Planet, wore a bowtie and had a camera slung around his neck.

"Just his usual threats of firing me if I don't produce any good photos, so, no not really. What are you working on?" He looked over Clark's shoulder at the paper that was in the typewriter.  
"Just a small column for the sports section; Benjamin asked me to write it up for him. He's off sick today."

"Good thing you covered for him Clark otherwise the chief would have been all over him Monday morning." Jimmy said smoothing his neatly combed hair, he noticed Amber and smiled at her, "hello." Clark looked over at Amber and introduced her to Jimmy. "Sorry how rude of me. Amber this is Jimmy Olsen; he's one of the photographers for The Planet. Jimmy this is Amber, she's a friend of Lois's."

"Hi" Amber said politely shaking the hand Jimmy extended over the desks. "Nice to meet you Amber" Jimmy said with a charming smile. "You too" Amber replied smiling back.

"Jimmy is a great photographer. You should see some of his work." Clark said leaning back in his chair. "Not good enough for the front page yet." Jimmy added scratching the back of his head. Clark picked up a newspaper from his desk, flipped through a few pages until he found the right one. He turned the paper around a handed it to Amber. The story was entitled ' _Trash or treasure, are you throwing away millions?'_ Below the title was a photo of a woman holding a framed painting.

"She was a sweet lady, that painting was found in her attic and turned out to be worth millions." Jimmy said as Amber gazed at the article. "I'd love to see some of your other work sometime" Amber said handing the newspaper back to Clark.

"Well I have to get some negatives ready to present to The Chief tomorrow morning, you can have a look at those if you want." Jimmy said taking off the camera strap from around his neck.

"Sure." Amber got up and followed Jimmy to a solitary desk nearby. He pulled the chair out for her and opened a drawer to get his photos from a thick folder. Each photograph Jimmy placed on the desk had a story behind it, which he told to Amber. She noticed the passion in his voice and the way his eyes light up as he recalled each situation he got into for some of the photos.

The time flew by and Amber was enjoying the little exhibition so much that Clark's sudden tapping on her shoulder made her jump almost a foot in the air. "Clark! You scared me." Amber said with a hand over her heart and the other quickly moving her hair out of her face. "Oh I'm sorry Amber. It's time to go now." Clark said pointing to a clock on the wall. He already had his briefcase, coat and fedora with him.

"Oh okay, thanks for showing me your photos Jimmy, they're amazing." Amber said standing up. "No problem Amber. Guess I'll see you tomorrow Clark." Jimmy said to Clark, he turned back to Amber and smiled, "Hope to see you around Amber." Amber said goodbye to Jimmy then walked back to Lois's desk, weaving between people heading towards the elevators, to get her jacket and handbag. When she found Clark he already had her suitcase with him.

Clark put his hand on the small of her back as they walked through to lobby and again when they reached the subway station. The two managed to squeeze onto a carriage despite Amber's large suitcase taking up a lot of room and disgruntling the other passengers. They rode a few stops, Clark helping an elderly lady off at one and almost getting himself left behind. Luckily he got back on just in time but got his foot wedged in the doors as they slid shut. Amber wondered how he managed to pull himself free without anyone's help; those doors were very heavy.

When Clark and Amber reached their stop the daylight had almost gone. The bright fluorescent street lamps guided their way to Clark's apartment. "So do you live close by from here?" Amber asked glancing up at Clark. "Just a few blocks from Lois's apartment actually. We're not too far away now."

"Super" Amber grumbled gripping the handle of her suitcase tighter. The breeze was cold and Amber shivered clenching her jaw to stop her teeth chattering, she noticed Clark didn't seem to mind how cold it was becoming as his coat remained unbuttoned and flapped in the breeze. "So Amber do you like fish fingers?" Clark asked casually. It turned out fish fingers was all he had to serve for dinner that night. "Oh I don't… mind… I like… fish…" Amber's broken sentence died and Clark looked at her confused. He saw that she was focused on something in the distance and followed her gaze to find what had caught her attention.

 **A/N: Hope you readers are enjoying this story, sorry for the late posting.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A huge thank you to all of the readers who have favorited, left reviews and PM me. You're keeping my motivation burning bright! As always, please review and tell me what you think of the story so far.**

In the distance Clark could see a group of men walking towards them. He counted six of them and they looked perfidious and vicious. Amber's breathing sped up and Clark felt her grab onto his sleeve. Her pace slowed until she stood rooted on the spot staring, unblinking, up ahead. "Uh Amber, is everything alright?" Clark asked glancing over at the men. Her face was etched with fear and Clark could see she was ready to run.

"Amber what's wrong?" Clark asked again, this time putting a hand on her shoulder. She still said nothing, her gaze not moving. Every step the men took towards them made Amber more and more threatened. Clark could almost see the animal like instincts taking over. Her grip on Clark's sleeve was making her knuckles go pale and Clark looked between her and the men worried.

He was thinking quickly, figuring out what to do when the men slipped down a narrow alleyway between the sets of streetlights. After a few seconds Amber relaxed, her grip loosening off Clark's sleeve. "Nothing. Sorry, I just, uh, don't like strange people at night." Amber said finally looking up at Clark. Clark looked at her concerned, "…I see. Well they're gone now so no need to worry."

"Yeah" Amber's smile was forced and fake but it didn't stop either of them from continuing down the street. Clark moved to the other side of Amber so he would walk between her and the alleyway. Their footsteps were silent and steady and Amber walked a fraction closer to Clark, lugging her suitcase along with both hands. Clark could hear Amber's unsteady breathing when they walked out of the illuminated ring of light from the streetlight. They walked faster in the shadow, trying to get to the comfort of the other streetlight as quickly as possible.

They'd passed the alleyway by only a few steps before Amber heard something behind her. Suddenly a glass bottle was shattered over Clark's head, sending him to the ground with a yelp and Amber spun around to see the six men re-emerging from the alleyway. "Clark get up!" Amber yelled backing away. Two of the men advanced upon her while the other four surrounded Clark. He'd just gotten to his hands and knees when the men began relentlessly beating him. All Amber could hear was the sound of fists and boots pounding all over Clark, his grunts of pain were barely audible.

One of the two men stepped forward bringing Amber's attention back to her situation. Amber swung her suitcase at him, briefly knocking him away. The other man yanked the suitcase from her grip with a growl and tossed it into the street. Amber fumbled with her handbag as she backed away trying to find her pepper spray. Her hand rummaged through its contents finding the small smooth canister just as the men got to her.

One grabbed Amber and pulled her into a vice like grip. Amber yelled and struggled as hard as she could until he slacked his grip enough for her to blindly spray him. As soon as the pepper spray hit his eyes he screamed and shoved Amber away. He covered his eyes with his hands and stumbled around yelling in pain. "You little bitch!" the other man angrily snarled. "Back off!" Amber yelled pointing the pepper spray at him. He stood silent and Amber yelled. "I mean it! Back off!" He took a few steps back and Amber took that opportunity to look over at Clark. He was face down on the ground still being beaten and kicked.

She could hear his gasps and grunts each time one of the men struck him and Amber felt terrified. She knew she barely had the upper hand right now and had no idea what to do. Without giving herself more time to think about it Amber yelled at the four other men," Hey! All of you get away from him. NOW!" The four men stopped and turned to look at her, one man took a step forward. "Or what?"

"Just back away from him now" Amber said trying to keep her voice strong and firm. The men exchanged looks then moved a few steps away from Clark, enough for Amber to see that he wasn't moving. Amber took a few steps towards him, "Clark?" she croaked as tears began to sting her eyes.

Amber wiped her eyes with the back of her hand leaving her vulnerable. That moment was all one of the men needed. The sudden grip around her chest knocked the breath out of Amber's lungs and she felt a hand grab her wrist before she could use the pepper spray again. Amber struggled but this man wasn't having any of it and roughly dragged her down into the alleyway. The darkness engulfed her vision and Amber could hear the other four men drag Clark along behind her. Amber began screaming for help, as loud as she could.

Her screaming was cut short when one of the men suddenly appeared in front of her, pressing his body against hers. She was sandwiched between two of the men, one holding her around her waist and tightly gripping her wrist, and the other had cupped her mouth with his dry callused hand. "Don't put up a fuss alright? Just give us your cash, jewellery and anything else you got. You've already caused one of my boys some damage. It would be a real shame if we had to even out the score." He said quietly, brushing his other hand over Amber left eyebrow.

"Let her go." Amber heard the voice come from somewhere to her left and out the corner of her eye could just see Clark getting to his feet. His voice was as unsteady as his balance was. The three remaining men stood menacingly close to Clark, they were ready to do whatever their ringleader told them to do, their leader being the one who was currently covering Amber's mouth. "Let her go and I'll give you anything you want." Clark said again.

"I really don't think you're in any place to make negotiations." The man who was holding Amber said. The ringleader roughly grabbed her face, stretching then crushing her lips and cheeks together. "She's pretty this one. I might keep her." He said with a laugh at Amber's horrified expression. He squeezed her cheeks together hard making her whimper loudly against the pain.

"Hey that's enough! Don't you treat her like that." The firmness in Clark tone had withered away by the end of his sentence. All the men laughed, the ringleader was the loudest. He gave Amber's face a few sharp slaps, then after a long sigh said "this guy's boring the shit out of me. Kill Him!"

The three men jumped on Clark in a split second and Amber screamed as they beat him to the ground once more. Tears began to pour down her face and she struggled against the man holding her, thrashing with all her might. In a moment of luck, Amber's head snapped back and collided with the man's nose, making a very wet crunch upon impact. He screamed out in pain throwing Amber to the ground. The pepper spray bounced on the cement and out of sight when Amber fell. She crawled around searching with her hands as mayhem carried on around her.

"You little fucking bitch!" Amber had no time to react. The man whose nose she'd broken kicked her in the stomach. Amber let out a chocked scream falling to her side. The man knelt down, pulled Amber up by her jacket and planted his fist straight into her stomach. He let Amber go and she crumbled at his feet coughing up vomit. Amber curled up covering her head and endured each kick he laid into her.

Blood trickled down Amber's face when the man was finally finished and he spit at her. She heard the slag land inches away from her face. Forcing her eyes open Amber could make out shapes in the darkness, Clark was on his hands and knees crawling away from the group. She could hear them laughing at him.

"Look he's trying to get away!"

"Look at him grovelling. You won't get far!"

"Come back here! No use hiding in the shadows."

Amber hoped Clark had gotten away. One of the men walked further into the alleyway after Clark and he said something to the other men which Amber didn't catch. They started yelling back and forth and Amber looked over at the group to find that they were walking towards her. She softly cried, absolutely terrified of what she thought was about to happen. Before they reached her she turned her head and looked up at her stars trying to find a happy place in her mind. Something shot across the sky and the colours she glimpsed literally made her scream out in relief.

There was a solid thud which drew everyone's attention to the entrance of the alleyway. Superman stood strong and tall with his arms crossed over his shoulders and a stern look on his face. "Fun's over" He growled through a clenched jaw, Superman was angry and the men could tell.

Superman didn't give the men time to react. Within seconds there was a blur of movements, cries of pain and Amber swore she even heard a few bones breaking before they all fell to the ground. Superman picked the men up, two at a time, until all six lay limp against the building wall. He jumped up and flew off into the sky before Amber could blink.

She found the strength to wipe the tears off her cheeks and she sat up, moaning in pain as white hot pain flooded her ribcage. The darkness of the alleyway engulfed her and she felt suffocated. "Clark?" Amber's voice was dry and harsh. She held her breath trying to hear any kind of noise. Her sobs broke the silence when no reply came from further down the alleyway. Amber was terrified. Absolutely soul shattering terrified. "Anybody?" She squeaked peering through the darkness.

A brief gust of wind blew Amber hair forward and she twisted around to see what had caused it. She just glimpsed Superman before the way she'd twisted caused another stab of pain to flood her middle. Amber screamed and her muscles gave out, she flopped back to the ground cracking the back of her head on the concrete.

"Amber!" Superman was by her side in and instant. "Where's Clark?" She whispered with her eyes closed. "He's safe Amber, let me help you." Superman's hand slid under her and he gently sat her up and he cradled her in his arms. When Amber's eyes opened they met Superman's and he could see how scared she was. "It's okay, you're safe now Amber. I've got you."

Superman could hear Amber's tears roll off her face and hit the concrete with a splash. "It happened ag-again. And this time Clark got hu-hurt too. They almost ki-killed him! Where is Clark? I-is he okay?" Amber sobbed. Superman hushed her and wiped her tears away, "Clark is okay. Amber look at me" he said gently and Amber looked up into his strong blue eyes. "I promise Clark is fine, he's a little battered and bruised but he was walking when I got to him. I told him to head for his apartment and I'd take care of the men."

Amber mumbled wordlessly in reply. She was in so much pain and her head was getting cloudy. "He can't ha-have been walking, I heard them, a-and they said he was cra-crawling, grovelling!" She cried still upset.

"He wasn't strong enough to jump up and run from those men. But when I found Clark he was about to go face them again to get you, I almost couldn't stop him. Now let me take you back to Lois's. Please?"

"Lois is out of t-town right now, and the country. She's f-following a story. I'm meant t-to be staying with Clark unt-til she gets ba-back."

"Oh I see, well it makes a lot more sense to be seeing you with one of her co-workers at this time of night and not her. I'll take you to Clark's apartment then. May I?" Superman asked motioning to pick her up. Amber nodded and she was scooped up bridal style in Superman's arms. The way her spine curved and the sudden crushing of her ribs made Amber cry out in agony, the pain worse than before. The cement was suddenly under her and Amber took a few deep breaths.

"Amber I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have been so careless." Superman said staring intently at her torso. "Not your fault." Amber breathed through the throbbing pain. Superman stopped staring and looked up at her. "You've got severe bruising on your ribs and spine, and some swelling." Amber looked alarmed and Superman quickly added she'd be fine with some painkillers and something to stop the swelling.

"Can you stand Amber?" Superman asked when her breathing had slowed down. "I think so." Amber replied apprehensively. With gritted teeth and a loud grunt Amber got to her feet while holding Superman's outstretched arm for support. Superman steadied Amber and held her forearms. "Step on my feet."

"What?" Amber asked glancing at his feet confused. "My feet. Step onto them, like a platform." It took Amber a few moments but she eventually understood with a small 'oh'. She looked back down at the red boots then slowly stepped one foot on at a time like he instructed. The way they stood together resembled the way a father would dance with his daughter, her standing on his feet to keep up with the steps.

Superman moved one arm around her middle and Amber found herself gently pressed against his body. She put her arms around his neck and gripped tightly. "Comfortable?" Superman asked looking down at Amber, "I think so," Amber said slightly readjusting her feet. "Alright then, hold on." Superman said with a reassuring smile.

Amber was expecting Superman to jump up into the sky like last time she flew with him, but this time he didn't. Superman simply rose up into the air. His feet still parallel, like he was standing on an invisible surface. They rose higher and higher into the sky.

Looking down at the disappearing ground made Amber keen nervously. "Hey, just look at me, not at the ground." Superman said giving her an _incredibly_ gentle squeeze, cautious of her ribs. Amber looked up at him, her face imprinted with dread. Superman chuckled, "Amber, I promise I won't drop you."

"I'm not afraid that you'll drop me, I'm afraid of everything down there." Amber said looking down at the city again. The night brought a whole other side of the city to life. Streetlights did little to fight the dark shadows. The things that lurked amongst those shadows Amber feared with her entire being. Her breathing got shorter as she thought more and more about it.

"Just focus on me then. Focus on flying" Superman said staring intently at Amber, smiling when she looked up at him. Superman shifted in the air so he flew horizontal with his back to the ground. He pulled Amber up closer to his chest, her feet no longer on top of his, so she could look out at the night sky. He hoped this would distract her from her thoughts. Superman kept his body straight as an ironing board and a strong grip on Amber to make her feel secure.

"I, ah, don't know the way to Clark's apartment." Amber said out of the blue looking worried.

"I know the way. Lois's is a good friend of his, I met him once actually. Nice fellow."

"I hope he's okay." Amber's voice was thin and her lip began to tremble.

"He's at his apartment right now waiting for you. I assure you he's okay." Superman said calmly. He'd never needed to assure someone so much about something, usually they just believed him because, well because he was Superman! Who wouldn't trust him?

They flew in silence and Amber's thoughts remained on Clark. Despite Superman persisting to Amber that Clark was fine she still didn't believe it. She'd seen him get beaten to the ground by four men and had heard them taunt him as he _crawled_ away. Knowing that he'd crawled made Amber's face scrunch up and she blinked a few times to stop tears from spilling over her eyelids. She felt awful for not being able to stop the men, for being so weak and useless. A single tear spilled down Amber's cheek and she discretely wiped it away.

Superman began to straighten up and Amber wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. His grip on her was secure as her feet dangled inches above his. Superman began to descend down to Clark's balcony. Once he'd landed he lowered Amber to the ground and didn't let go of her until he was sure she was okay to stand.

Amber watched Superman walked over to the door and tug on the handle.  
"It's locked." He said loud enough for her to hear. Superman rapped on the glass a few times and waited. Amber began to fret,  
"What's happening in there? Can you see him? Is he okay?" She walked over to Superman and knocked on the glass quite a lot louder than he had done.  
"Calm down Amber, he's in there. I can hear him. He's walking towards the door right now." Amber relaxed with a sigh.

Suddenly Superman's head whipped around and he looked very alarmed.  
"I have to go!" he said, almost shouting, before shooting off into the air so fast he caused a wind to whip Amber's curls around and kick dust up into her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Updated A/N: I've edited the story so now it reads a lot better. Hope you readers are enjoying the story so far.**

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter came so late! I've been very busy with a few essays. I've made this chapter longer than usual but have not done much editing so apologies for any mistakes. As usual, please review and favourite!**

The door opened and Clark stepped out just as Amber was rubbing the dust from her eyes. "Oh Amber thank god!" Clark said putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her up and down, checking for injuries. Amber looked up still blinking away the stinging in her eyes and saw that Clark was holding a raw steak to his left eye. The steak was thick and concealed most of his face behind it. Amber also noticed his knotted hair and how ripped up his clothes were. "Look what they did to you" Amber said pained, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." She felt tears pool in her eyes which helped wash away the remaining dust.

"No Amber, _I'm_ sorry. It's my fault this happened. I should have called us a taxi from the station but I didn't so what happened is all on me. I'm just so grateful Superman found us and that you're okay." Clark said earnestly. "Where is he anyway?"

"He flew off a few seconds ago, hopefully to deal with those bastards." Amber said with a shaky voice and a dark look. Clark stepped aside, "Come in Amber, let's get you cleaned up." Amber stepped passed Clark and into his apartment. She didn't look around, she just followed Clark's limping footsteps to the bathroom where he handed her some clean towels before leaving her to clean up.

Amber locked the door and undressed in a morbid daze. She soon stood under a stream of water, letting the scalding hot water run down her body turning her skin red and tender. Her entire body hurt; her throat from screaming; her spine, ribs and stomach from getting beaten; her head was pounding, and a ringing filled her ears. Eventually Amber got out of the shower and slowly dried herself off making sure to avoid looking into the fogged up mirror. She didn't want to see what she looked like right now.

Clark's sudden knocking on the door startled Amber and she ripped a folded towel from the chair it sat to cover her body. "Amber? Sorry to bother you but your suitcase is here. I found it out on the balcony just now. I'll leave it by the door for you." Clark's voice came through the door quite muffled. "Thank you Clark." Amber called while wrapping the towel around her properly. She put her ear to the wood of the door and listened to Clark walk away before she opened the door and dragged her suitcase into the still steamy bathroom.

Amber dug through her clothes until she found a pair of underwear and a set of pale green cotton pyjamas. Once dressed Amber combed the knots out of her curls and towel dried her hair before braiding it. She noticed with a small laugh that the colour of her pyjamas matched her eyes so she took and big warm, grey coloured cardigan out of the suit case and put that on to cover up the green. Once finished in the bathroom Amber packed her suitcase back up and dragged it out into the hallway ignoring the dull pain in her back.

"Clark?" Amber began walking through his apartment looking for him. It was smaller than Lois's and while walking past the balcony door Amber noticed it had a sweet, almost country style to it. "In the kitchen Amber," Clark's voice came from around the corner so Amber followed it and walked into a small kitchen, which made Clark look much taller than usual. He was leaning against the sink with a bag of frozen peas on his eye now. His other hand covered the other side of his face and he was massaging his temple.

"I've finished in the bathroom." Amber said pulling the sleeves of her cardigan down over her hands. Clark looked up at her and hinted a smile from behind the bag of peas. "Would you like something to eat? I have some chicken soup."

"Oh, no I won't tonight. I'm not really hungry." Amber said looking anywhere but at Clark. "Are you sure? It'll make you feel better, I'm having some too so it's no trouble for me to cook it." Clark persuaded. Amber suddenly felt her stomach become hollow and the thought of food became overly tempting. "Actually, um. Yeah. Some soup would be really nice." Clark smiled at her again and stood up to start making it.

He moved around the kitchen still with a small limp and begun making the soup. He noticed Amber's expression at his limp and waved it off, "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning. I've been kicked off of horses and received worse damage back on the farm." He continued moving around the kitchen until there was a pot brewing on the stove top and the smell of chicken broth began to fill Amber's nostrils. Clark then turned to the freezer and pulled out another bag of peas; using one hand he wrapped a paper towel around it and handed it to Amber. "For you lip, it looks quite swollen." Clark said scrunching his eyebrows together concerned "Thanks," Amber took the bag and tenderly held it against the throbbing part of her bottom lip.

She looked Clark over again as he stirred the soup. He hadn't yet changed and through a tear in his shirt Amber could make out the definition of stomach muscles. She felt her eyebrows raise and she smiled a little, quite surprised. Clark really didn't seem like the type to be packing ounces of muscle despite his height and large frame. He was too… humble.

The sound of liquid pouring into a bowl pulled Amber from her thoughts and her mouth began to water as she watched Clark using the ladle. He placed the bowl on his kitchen table and pulled out the chair for Amber. She sat down and placed her bag of frozen peas by the bowl then began eating as Clark filled a bowl for himself. As soon as the broth hit her tongue she couldn't stop the noise that resinated from her throat. It was a deep rumbling moan that made her blush and Clark smile. "I'm glad you like it," he said and Amber swallowed her soup loudly which made her blush more. They ate in silence and Amber noticed towards the end of the meal that Clark still held his bag of frozen peas to his face as he ate. He hadn't moved it once, not even an inch. How his skin hadn't burned from the ice Amber didn't know but it occupied her thoughts until she finished her soup.

"I'll show you the spare room" Clark said as he got up from the table. Amber quietly followed him and felt her stomach clench when Clark picked up her suitcase from outside the bathroom and limped with it to the spare room. The room was at the end of the small hallway and Clark pushed on the wood of the door with his shoulder walking in as it gave way. He put down the suitcase and flicked on a lamp which dimly eliminated the room casting long shadows across the floor and walls.

Amber saw a single bed tucked into the corner, a chest of drawers by the window and wardrobe on the opposite wall. "The two top drawers are empty and there's some space in the wardrobe for you to put your clothes." Clark said looking at Amber. She looked back up at him and nodded her head, "Thankyou Clark, I'm really grateful for your hospitality."

"It's no trouble Amber. Well I'll leave you to, uh, to get some rest. Good night… I'll um, see you in the morning" Clark said before walking towards the door. "Goodnight Clark." Amber said just as it closed with a snap. Amber delicately shrugged off her cardigan and crawled into bed. The sheets were cold and she shifted around until she lay as comfortably as possible. She lay on her side staring at the wall. Even though she was exhausted Amber's mind began to drift back to the men.

Being attacked once before had been hard enough for Amber to deal with. Having it happen a second time made her throat close over and her skin go cold. Amber scrunched her eyes shut as the memories flashed by in her mind. "Why did it have to happen again? Why me?" She whimpered using the sheets to wipe her eyes. The thoughts floated around Amber's mind until finally she fell asleep. Sleep provided no peace for Amber, she tossed and turned all night and even had Clark checking on her at one point when he was startled awake by her screaming in her sleep.

…

Amber woke early the next morning, before the sun had risen. She tossed around agitated until her memories recalled where she was and Amber relaxed back into her pillow. As the early morning began to light Amber dozed off; waking when the first sunbeam toughed her face through the crack in the curtains. Even though the daylight was steadily getting brighter Amber couldn't bring herself to get up. Her body ached all over and she felt incredibly sluggish. Noises from the streets drifted in and Amber lay with her eyes closed and continued to drift in and out of slumber as the morning ticked on.

The only reason she did get up that morning was the empty rumbling in her stomach becoming too much to bear. With her cardigan wrapped around her, Amber tip toed down the hallway and into the living room. On the coffee table lay a piece of paper with a neat handwritten note from Clark. Amber picked it up and read:

 _Morning Amber,_

 _I'll be back from work around 6pm. There are fresh towels in the bathroom and please help yourself to any food in the kitchen (I apologize, there isn't much)._

 _If you need to contact me I've listed the telephone number for the Dailey Planet below, just ask for me._

 _See you soon!_

 _-Clark._

Amber put the note back on the coffee table and wondered into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found most of the shelves to be empty. The door swung shut as she turned to one of the cupboards. She shuffled around some boxes until she came across an open box of pop tarts. Strawberry flavoured; her favourite. Soon enough the kitchen was filling with the sweet smell of hot pop tarts and Amber quietly hummed to herself as she waited.

The toaster popped and Amber took her pop tarts out to the balcony to eat them. As Amber munched on her breakfast she looked around Clark's balcony taking in her surroundings. Like his apartment, it was smaller than Lois's; there were some pot plants scattered around the place which added some colour to the otherwise bleak setting and there was a nice view of the city. Amber leant on the balcony railing and watched the people down on the streets go about their day for a while. They looked like ants from up high. The area Amber's parents lived was much further away from the city so there was rarely a sight of many people busily going about their day, bumping into each other and disturbing traffic by dodging cars while crossing the road.

To occupy her mind Amber left the balcony and began unpacking her suitcase into the drawers in the spare room. She also explored the apartment, peeking into each room quietly from the door. Amber skimmed through the books on the selves, admired some of the art work that was up on the walls and opened up the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Surprisingly it wasn't stocked with anything medical related at all. A few contact lens cases, some cologne and a comb stood out amongst the rest of the items.

Amber thought the apartment reflected Clark's personality; it was neat, a little dull at first sight but was full of interesting things that took some time to notice. For example, Amber didn't expect to stumble across a number of astronomy books on the shelf which had lots of bookmarks tagging different pages. Clark seemed like that last person to be interested in astronomy. Amber's favourite thing about his apartment was the open fire place in the living room; she could picture herself sitting by it at night to keep warm. It was a very appealing vision.

Throughout the rest of the day Amber tried desperately to keep her mind busy; but the slightest reminder of last night's event had her going weak at the knees. More than once did she fall to the floor sobbing uncontrollably, once at the sight of Clark's broken glasses and later at the sound of yelling and screaming from the street.

Some comfort, or rather distraction, was found in the television set. Amber sat and watched the daytime re-run programs until Clark arrived home at 6:15. She did have a very brief thought of going for a walk outside but the idea was quickly dismissed. The streets weren't safe to Amber, not even during the day. When Clark walked through the door Amber laid balled up on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. "Hello Amber," He said to the face poking out as he took off his coat and fedora. "Hi Clark, how was work?"

"Uh, it was… well it was uneventful. Quite a bore really." Clark put his briefcase on the table and walked into the kitchen to get a drink. Amber still watched her program, unblinking. "And how was yours?" Clark asked from the kitchen. "Uneventful." Amber mirrored rubbing her puffy red eyes. Her hand disappeared behind the blanket she was wrapped in as Clark walked into the living room.

The entrance was enough for Amber to tear her eyes from the television set to look at Clark. When she did her eyebrows rose up high. He was fine. Clark was without a scratch on his body. Last night he'd been limping heavily and she never even saw the injury he'd been keeping ice on. Amber gazed through the thick lenses of Clark's glasses. Not a bruise was visible.

Clark, who was standing by the television, adjusted his glasses. "Everything okay Amber?" Amber sat up then walked up close to Clark, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She stood right in front of him and looked him up and down. "You don't have a scratch on you." She said with disbelief dripping off every word. "Yesterday, last night you were limping! You're face…" Amber was at a loss for words. Clark chuckled uncomfortably, "Well my mother taught me ice on a bruise stops the swelling."

"Yeah but you aren't even purple!" Clark sidestepped Amber and walked over to the bookshelf. He traced a few book spines with his fingers. "I, ah, have good genes, always did heal quickly." He turned and clapped his hands together, "Spaghetti for dinner?" Clark didn't wait for Amber to answer; he turned on his heel and headed straight into the kitchen. Amber pattered over to the door way with her jaw hanging open. "You're not even limping anymore."

"I swear I just have good genes. You're not allergic to anything are you?" Clark asked with one arm full of ingredients. "Only pineapple" Amber said still eyeing Clark's ankle. "I'll remember that." Clark replied.

Clark got to work cooking and Amber, after some encouragement from Clark, went back to the sofa. The smell of pasta sauce wafted through the apartment making Amber's mouth water. Clark's cooking ability really surprised Amber; she didn't peg him as the cooking type of man. The two ate in silence that night. Amber spent the whole time thinking about conversation topics but couldn't bring herself to say anything while Clark seemed content enough with casually swirling his fork in the pasta and bringing it out with perfectly round balls of noodles on the prongs. Amber got the feeling he was waiting for her to start conversation if she wanted to but otherwise was going to stay silent.

After dinner Amber had a short shower then curled up in bed with her hair still damp. She wasn't tired but didn't feel like sitting in the living room with Clark; she felt that he would might some private time in _his_ apartment. Amber shifted her damp hair off her neck and looked out the window. The city lights blinked for miles and she found herself thinking about her mother. Amber wished she could curl up next to Cathy and breathe in her comforting scent. When in her mother's arms nothing else in the world mattered to Amber. But now she felt so lost. Eventually Amber fell asleep, she didn't know when but she was happy to finally be at blissful slumber with no nightmares tormenting her that night either.

…

The next week continued much the same way. Clark went to work early each morning; Amber would get up some time later and stay in the apartment; each day she would force herself to leave the apartment (though she only ever got as far as the ground floor doorway before she panicked and ran back upstairs); and Clark would come home and cook dinner for the two of them.

One evening Clark arrived home when Amber was out on the balcony watching the lingering sunset and the stars slowly coming out. Clark walked out onto the balcony and joined Amber where she leant against the railing. "Hey Clark, hey, I found one of your shirts by that plant pot over there." Amber said holding out a dark green button up shirt. "Oh…thank you Amber. I… don't know how it got out here…" Clark said taking it and awkwardly pushing his glasses back up his nose. "No problem. Would you mind if I helped with dinner tonight?" Amber asked turning away from the cityscape view. "Uh, if you want to Amber. You are a guest though." Clark said a little stunned. "I've been here a week Clark and I haven't helped out at all. I would like to do more."

They walked into the kitchen together and Clark pulled out a chopping board and a knife for Amber to use. Next he got a handful of vegetables from the refrigerator and placed them next to the chopping board. Amber put an eggplant on the board and pushed the knife into the purple skin. The knife was so blunt it couldn't even pierce the skin; it only left an indentation mark. "Do you something I can sharpen this knife with?" Amber ran her fingers over the blade, "this has got to be the bluntest knife I've ever felt." Clark walked over and ran his finger along the blade too. "Hm, never noticed before. I think I've got a knife sharpener somewhere in here. Could you check in that drawer?" Clark asked pointing to a drawer behind her. Amber opened the drawer and started digging through the cooking utensils. She'd only been looking for a few moments when Clark's triumphant 'ah ha' had her turn around. He was holding out the sharpened knife to her. "Here you go, I think you'll find it much sharper." Amber took the knife and felt the blade once more. It was _very_ sharp. If she hadn't been so careful the blade defiantly would have sliced her finger tips. "Wow, now that's what I call sharp. Thanks Clark."

Amber begun slicing and dicing the vegetables while Clark cooked some minced beef. Once she'd finished chopping the vegetables Amber watched Clark cook; something about him seemed familiar to her. Amber couldn't quite put her finger on it but it had been nagging at the back of her mind, like she should remember but couldn't. She sighed and leant against the counter top. "So have you heard from Lois?" She asked Clark as he sprinkled some salt into the sauce. He answered without looking at her, "yes she rang today at work. She asked how you were." The way he spoke made Amber feel like there was more. "Did you tell her about the other night?" Amber prodded. "I did. She was quite upset at first but when I said that Superman saved us she was relieved. I told her you got some grazes and bruises but neither of us needed to go to the hospital. She was relieved to hear that. If something had happened to you I don't think she'd forgive me."

"But it wasn't your fault! Did you tell her that?" Amber was surprised that Lois was angry at Clark. "Well I tried to tell her how it all happened but she really only listened when I told her about Superman saving us." Clark said glaring frustrated at the sauce. "I don't think it's entirely fair of her to blame you for not being able to fend off six men then praise Superman for effortlessly swooping in and saving us." Amber thought aloud. "No other man can compare to him in Lois's eyes." Clark said looking even more frustrated. Amber studied him noticing his hand tighten around the wooden spoon he held. "She has a thing for Superman doesn't she?" Amber asked still studying his body language. Clark's eyebrow's creased and his mouth pulled into a frown. "It's not really a secret. She always talks about him and Mr White gives her all the related stories so she can get interviews from him."

"Something tells me that it bothers you more than most Clark." Amber said casually crossing her arms over her chest. Clark put the rest of the chopped up vegetables in the pot as she spoke and he laughed rather disconcert. "Oh no of course not I just think she- what?" He asked upon noticing the deadpan stare Amber was giving him.

"Come on Clark, I'm not naïve and honestly, I had my suspicions after the first time I saw you two together. You just had the biggest smile on your face and this look in your eye when she showed you affection." Clark blushed then sat down at his kitchen table with a sigh. "It's hard to talk to Lois about how I feel when she is constantly talking about Superman." He said intertwining his fingers and resting them on the table top. Amber sat down across from him and gently put a hand on top of his, "Don't worry Clark, you'll get your moment. When it comes, you just have to make sure not to miss it."

"What do you mean by that?" Amber smiled at Clark question. "Honestly, I have no idea really. My mother used to say it to me sometimes. I think just let it mean what you want it to mean."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter is of the alleyway incident from Clark's point of view, I know it's repetitive but the next chapter (I hope) will please you readers more than this one. Please leave a review with some feedback, I love hearing what you guys think of this story.**

Clark heard the men behind him and Amber as they walked passed the alley way. There was a whoosh sound and a glass bottle broke over his skull. Clark acted his pain as he fell to the ground. The terror in Amber's voice when she screamed his name rattled around in his head. This was a new situation to him and he was panicking. He had to protect Amber; she couldn't find out his secret; he _had to protect her._ Clark got to his hands and knees just as most of the men began beating him. He was sure to fall and be knocked about upon each individual impact. If he hadn't the men may have well been beating solid steel; their bones surely would have broken with the force they were using if he resisted their blows.

When Amber yelled and began struggling against one of the men Clark almost couldn't stop himself from getting up and saving her. ' _No! You can't risk it!'_ he thought over and over. Amber surprised Clark when she managed to pepper spray one of the men; she momentarily had the upper hand, ordering the other to back away from him. It was a few moments before they did and Clark looked up just in time to see her wipe some tears away from her face and one of the men to sneak up behind her. He watched with a clenched jaw as the man disarmed her and dragged her into the alley way. The other men pulled Clark up and he made no refusal to go with them. In the darkness he could stop the men unseen by any one of them.

Enough was enough for Clark when he saw two of the men violate Amber's personal space and body. He said loud enough for the men to hear "let her go" as he got to his feet. Amber watched him and Clark made himself wobble unsteadily before righting his balance. Clark almost didn't notice the other men swarm around him. "Let her go and I'll give you anything you want." Clark said again.

"I really don't think you're in any place to make negotiations." The man who was holding Amber said. The other man roughly grabbed Amber's face and Clark could see through the dark the pain he was putting her in and he heard her small whimper. Anger boiled up inside him; he _needed_ to stop this. "Hey that's enough! Don't you treat her like that." The firmness in his voice withered away when he regained his composure as _Clark._ The men laughed and the same man who held Amber's face slapped her four times across the same cheek. Clark could have crushed diamonds between his teeth he clenched them so tight.

"This guy's boring the shit out of me. Kill Him!" Clark let out a low growl before getting 'beaten to the ground'. The whole time he listened to what was happening to Amber. He was impressed with the nose breaking swing she laid into one of the men. Clark heard the man curse at Amber and realized with ultimate dread what was about to happen. He looked over and saw Amber get pulled to her feet and punched in the stomach. The sound of each kick and punch was the only thing Clark could hear and the voice inside his head was screaming to do something. Getting to his hands and knees Clark began to crawl further down the alley way. He got the attention of all the men, their comments fuelled his anger. He wasn't angry at them, but at himself; doing nothing was against every virtue he stood for and Amber was the one who was paying the price for it. When he was far enough down the alley way he stood up took off his glasses and jumped into the air.

In seconds Superman's cape flapped in the wind and he heard Amber's scream of relief as he flew high above her. He landed at the entrance of the alley way with a grim look in his eye and a hard mouth. Superman had his arms crossed over his chest to hide his shaking fists. "Fun's over" was all he managed to get out through his clenched jaw. He never gave the man a chance to blink; each one received either an elbow or a fist to the jaw. The one who had slapped Amber received a few broken ribs. He threw them all against the wall before flying off to find the closest police station. He landed right at the front desk, told the officer on duty what had happened and where he'd the men before he flew away back to Amber. As he flew back to the alley way he could hear Amber weeping. "Clark?... Anybody?" the notes of her voice cut holes in him.

Superman landed as quickly as possible, causing a gust of wind to blow Amber's hair about. She turned but crumbled back down with a cry of pain, her head cracking hard on the cement. "Amber!" Superman sped over to her and carefully cradled her in his arms. With her eyes closed she whispered asking where Clark was. "He's safe Amber, let me help you." Superman smiled gently when her eyes opened and met his, though he could see the fear in them. "It's okay, you're safe now Amber. I've got you."

Superman could hear Amber's tears roll off her face and hit the concrete with a splash. "It happened ag-again. And this time Clark got hu-hurt too. They almost ki-killed him! Where is Clark? I-is he okay?" Amber sobbed. Superman hushed her and wiped her tears away, "Clark is okay. Amber look at me" he said gently and Amber looked up into his strong blue eyes. "I promise Clark is fine, he's a little battered and bruised but he was walking when I got to him. I told him to head for his apartment and I'd take care of the men." Superman talked and felt Amber's breathing become steadier. Her reply was wordless muttering before it became understandable, "He can't ha-have been walking, I heard them, a-and they said he was cra-crawling, grovelling!"

"He wasn't strong enough to jump up and run from those men. But when I found Clark he was about to go face them again to get you, I almost couldn't stop him. Now let me take you back to Lois's. Please?" Superman remembered the last time he had seen Amber and was sure to make it seem like he knew nothing more of Amber's situation. "Lois is out of t-town right now, and the country. She's f-following a story. I'm meant t-to be staying with Clark unt-til she gets ba-back."

"Oh I see, well it makes a lot more sense to be seeing you with one of her co-workers at this time of night and not her. I'll take you to Clark's apartment then. May I?" Superman said before making out to lift Amber up. When he got an affirmative nod he slid his arms underneath and lifted her effortlessly. Her tortured cry was alarming and he had her back in the ground in an instant. Her heavy breathing and clenched jaw showed how much she was trying to the pain hidden. "Amber I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have been so careless." Superman looked at Amber chest and torso then began stripping away layers until he had looked right through her middle. "Not your fault." Amber breathed heavily. Superman looked up at her face, "you've got severe bruising on your ribs and spine, and some swelling… but you'll be fine with some painkillers and ice for the swelling." He added at Amber's alarmed look.

Superman waited patiently until her breathing had slowed down and her jaw unclenched. "Can you stand Amber?"

"I think so." Superman heard the grinding of Amber's teeth and the pain riddled grunt resinate from her chest as he helped her stand. He kept his arms outstretched and locked for her to use as support. "Step on my feet" he said looking down at her. Superman felt his lips quirk up at the sides at her confused look. "what?"

"My feet. Step onto them, like a platform." After a few moments Amber stepped onto his boots and he gently wrapped an arm around her. Her arms wrapped around his neck he looked down at Amber. "Comfortable?" Amber re adjusted her feet slightly before giving the affirmative. "Alright then, hold on." Superman smiled at Amber reassuringly before rising up off the ground. He went up some distance before he heard Amber's nervous keen. "Hey, just look at me, not at the ground" he said barely flexing his muscles to assure Amber she was safe. The fear and dread in her eyes grew as she looked from him to the ground then back again. Superman felt a chuckle rise from deep within his chest, "Amber, I promise I won't drop you."

"I'm not afraid that you'll drop me, I'm afraid of everything down there." Amber said looking down at the city again. "Just focus on me then. Focus on flying" Superman replied. He smiled a closed mouth smile at her when she looked back up at him. The dread was still glinting in her eyes. A thought came to Superman and he carefully adjusted himself whilst still flying; he now flew horizontal with his back to the city and he pulled Amber up closer to his chest so she could comfortably look out at the stars, which he hoped would distract her. His grip around her waist never changed and he exhaled heavily happy that his idea was working.

"I, ah, don't know the way to Clark's apartment." Amber suddenly said out of the blue. "I know the way. Lois's is a good friend of his, I met him once actually. Nice fellow." Superman replied feeling quite odd talking about that part of him so… detachedly. Amber's worried comment about Clark and her trembling lip had Superman forgetting his thoughts and comforting her once again, though he wasn't having much success tonight. "He's at his apartment right now waiting for you. I assure you he's okay."

He flew on silently and soon glided down towards Clark's apartment. He began to straighten himself up which made Amber tighten her grip around his neck. He descended vertically downwards, quickly landing on the balcony. Superman lowered Amber onto the ground and kept his hands steady until she was supporting her own weight. When Amber let go of him Superman walked over to the door and tugged on the handle. Locked; ' _how surprising'_ he thought to himself sarcastically. Clark _always_ locked all his doors, a model American citizen. "It's locked." Superman said loud enough for Amber to hear. He rapped on the glass a few times and waited; he was acting all this out for Amber, he needed to leave though. How to do that, he was working on.

"What's happening in there? Can you see him? Is he okay?" Amber walked over to Superman and wrapped her balled up knuckles on the wood quite a lot louder than he had. "Calm down Amber, he's in there. I can hear him. He's walking towards the door right now." Superman said glancing down at her frowning, he needed to leave. He needed to open the door as Clark. Amber's sigh was like a knife slicing through his thoughts. It was time to act. Superman suddenly turned and looked out over the city as if he'd just heard a cry for help. "I have to go!" he announced just before launching off the balcony and into the air at high speed.

Superman shot down to the lobby floor, zipped in through the door and up the stairs faster than the soundwaves he was creating. He was through the door and out of his suit just as quickly. Now Clark was dressed back in his clothes he wore earlier and was dragging his fingers through his hair to ruffle it. Clark went to open the door but his fingers stopped inches away from the handle; his glasses! With no time to find them he zipped to the kitchen and slapped a steak over his face instead. He was back at the door and opening it just as Amber was rubbing her eyes.

"Oh Amber thank god!" Clark said putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked her up and down for the first time as Clark. She looked up at him still blinking with red watering eyes. Amber's eyes ran over him and her expression became pained, "look what they did to you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." Clark saw her eyes become yet more wet as tears pricked her eyelashes. "No Amber, _I'm_ sorry. It's my fault this happened. I should have called us a taxi from the station but I didn't so what happened is all on me. I'm just so grateful Superman found us and that you're okay… Where is he anyway?" Clark added looking around, as if to see his other identity floating up in the air.

"He flew off a few seconds ago, hopefully to deal with those bastards." Amber's voice shook so Clark stepped aside to let her inside. "Come in Amber, let's get you cleaned up." Amber stepped passed Clark and he closed the door before leading her to his bathroom. He added a limp to his step (which he soon regretted after seeing how upset it made Amber). Clark handed Amber some towels and left her to shower. He went to his own room where he put away his suit and found his glasses on the floor next to the bedside table. One of the lenses was cracked and Clark ran a finger over it with a huff, "one day I'll get a pair of glasses which I won't end up breaking. One day." Clark left them on a ledge of his book shelf before checking that the spare room was set up. He had rested his gaze on the wardrobe for only a few seconds before he realized, with a twisting stomach, Amber's suitcase was still in the street.

Clark zipped out and back in only a few minutes to retrieve Amber's belongings. He knocked on the bathroom door and heard rapid movements before he said anything, "Amber? Sorry to bother you but your suitcase is here. I found it out on the balcony just now. I'll leave it by the door for you."

"Thank you Clark." Amber's answer was clear so he left the hallway and went to the kitchen. It was a quarter of an hour before Amber came out of the bathroom. Clark could hear her light footsteps pad around the apartment. "Clark?"

"In the kitchen Amber," he answered. Clark grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer to put on his face before Amber walked in. Paranoia was starting to get to Clark so he began rubbing his temple just as she walked in. He didn't want her seeing his face; it wasn't a risk he was willing to take. "I've finished in the bathroom." Amber said quietly. Clark looked up at her and gave her a warm look, she looked very tired. "Would you like something to eat? I have some chicken soup."

"Oh, no I won't tonight. I'm not really hungry." Amber looked down at her feet then her gaze shifted over the kitchen. "Are you sure? It'll make you feel better, I'm having some too so it's no trouble for me to cook it." Clark asked waiting patiently for her slow reply. "Actually, um. Yeah. Some soup would be really nice." Clark smiled happy that she accepted, he felt food would help ease her discomfort. He started cooking and lessened the severity of his 'limp' though he caught Amber's upset expression and tried to appease her, "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning. I've been kicked off of horses and received worse damage back on the farm." She didn't reply so Clark continued cooking. Once the broth was stewing he pulled another bag of peas out from the freezer. Amber was unconsciously rubbing her swollen lip. He passed her the wrapped up bag of peas, "for you lip, it looks quite swollen." Amber thanked Clark and gently held the bag against her lip. The swelling did go down with the help of the peas but Amber's lip stayed swollen and scabbed for a few days after that night.

Clark tasted the soup, added some pepper then poured two full ladles into a bowl. He set a place for Amber at his table and pulled a chair out for her. She sat down and Clark heard her begin to eat as he poured a bowl for himself; Amber let out a low moan of satisfaction and Clark grinned at her, "I'm glad you like it." She blushed and swallowed her mouthful of soup loudly which sent her pink cheeks scarlet. Clark joined her at the table and they ate in silence. During the meal Clark spied Amber staring at him a few times though he couldn't figure out why. Clark matched his pace to Amber so they finished eating at the same time and after he stood to show her to the spare room. On the way to the spare room he picked up Amber's suitcase and walked with it to the end of the hallway. He walked into the spare room and turned on a lamp as Amber followed him inside.

Clark watched Amber look around the room. "The two top drawers are empty and there's some space in the wardrobe for you to put your clothes." Amber looked over at him and nodded, "thankyou Clark, I'm really grateful for your hospitality."

"It's no trouble Amber. Well I'll leave you to, uh, to get some rest. Good night… I'll um, see you in the morning." Clark left and closed the door behind him, hearing Amber bid him goodnight just as the door closed. Clark cleared up the table and threw the two soggy bags of peas into the trash.

Clark lay awake most of that night; he was not at all tired. Around 3am shrieking tore Clark from his bed and he followed it to the spare room. Clark opened the door and through the darkness saw Amber in the bed, tossing in the sheets and her face twisted up in distress. Clark waited by the door until Amber's breathing had relaxed and she settled back into peaceful slumber.

…

The next morning Clark got up and was ready for work before Amber woke up. He left her a note on the coffee table before leaving and took his usual way to work where spent the day distracted and wanting to head back home so he could make sure Amber was okay. The minute people started getting up to leave at the end of the day Clark could not get out the building quick enough.

When he finally turned the key in his own front door he sighed happily. Clark walked in and found Amber balled up on the sofa wrapped in a blanket, only her face poked out. "Hello Amber" he said taking his coat and fedora off and hanging them up. "Hi Clark, how was work?"

"Uh, it was… well it was uneventful, quite a bore really." Clark said putting his briefcase on the table. He walked to the kitchen a filled a glass with water, "and how was yours?"

"Uneventful." Amber replied plainly. Clark strolled back over to the sofa and Amber looked up at him. Clark saw her eyes were red and her lip was still a little swollen. Amber's eyebrows rose and Clark looked at her questioningly and adjusted his glasses. "Everything okay Amber?"

Amber sat up then walked up close to Clark, the blanket remained wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. She stood right in front of him and looked him up and down. The close distance made Clark uncomfortable. "You don't have a scratch on you." Amber said staring straight into his eyes. "Yesterday, last night you were limping! You're face…" Amber trailed off and Clark chuckled uncomfortably, "Well my mother taught me ice on a bruise stops the swelling."

"Yeah but you aren't even purple!" Clark sidestepped Amber and walked over to the bookshelf. He traced a few book spines with his fingers and felt Amber's gaze burning a hole in the back of his head. "I, ah, have good genes, always did heal quickly." Clark turned and clapped his hands together, "Spaghetti for dinner?" He didn't wait for Amber to answer and just ducked straight into the kitchen, He heard Amber follow him and her next comment made him freeze. "You're not even limping anymore."

"I swear I just have good genes. You're not allergic to anything are you?" Clark asked with one arm full of ingredients, absolutely desperate to change the subject. "Only pineapple" Amber replied still eyeing Clark's ankle. "I'll remember that." Clark replied still putting ingredients on the counter. He finally settled Amber's curiosity and she went back to the sofa.

They ate in silence again that night and Amber excused herself early to shower and head to bed. Clark watched TV until he was sure Amber had fallen asleep before he made his nightly rounds. The next week continued in the same pattern. Clark found Amber relaxed a little more each day. One evening he came home and found her out on the balcony watching the sunset. He joined her and leant against the railing. "Hey Clark, hey, I found one of your shirts by that pot plant over there." Amber said holding out a dark green button up shirt. "Oh…thank you Amber. I… don't know how it got out here…" Clark said taking it and awkwardly pushing his glasses back up his nose. He hung it over an arm and looked around the balcony to make sure there was no other clothing lying around. He'd need to be more careful in the future. "No problem." Amber replied, she then turned away from the view and asked Clark if she could help with dinner that night. Clark was surprised and of course accepted the offer but added she shouldn't feel the need to as she was a guest.

Soon enough they were in the kitchen and Clark handed her some vegetables to slice. "Do you something I can sharpen this knife with?" Amber suddenly asked Clark, "this has got to be the bluntest knife I've ever felt." Clark walked over and ran his finger along the blade too. "Hm, never noticed before. I think I've got a knife sharpener somewhere in here. Could you check in that drawer?" Clark asked pointing to a drawer behind her. When Amber turned and started rummaging through the drawer Clark pinched his thumbnail and fingernail together and ran them along the blunt blade shaving a thin slice of steel from each side off. He made a triumphant 'ah-ha' and held the knife up for Amber to see, "here you go, I think you'll find it much sharper." Amber took the knife and felt the blade once more. "Wow, now that's what I call sharp. Thanks Clark."

Amber begun slicing and dicing the vegetables while Clark cooked some minced beef. They cooked together for a while in silence until Amber leant against the counter with a sigh and turned to Clark, "so have you heard from Lois?" Clark answered without looking at her "yes she rang today at work. She asked how you were."

"Did you tell her about the other night?" Amber prodded. Clark had told Lois and it was far from a pleasant conversation. Lois had panicked, then yelled and then finally calmed down enough for Clark to tell her that Superman had saved them. "If something had happened to you I don't think she'd forgive me." Clark added. "But it wasn't your fault! Did you tell her that?" Amber asked somewhat upset. "Well I tried to tell her how it all happened but she really only listened when I told her about Superman saving us." Clark said glaring frustrated at the sauce. "I don't think it's entirely fair of her to blame you for not being able to fend off six men then praise Superman for effortlessly swooping in and saving us." Amber thought aloud. "No other man can compare to him in Lois's eyes." Clark said frustrated. "She has a thing for Superman doesn't she?" Amber asked. Clark furrowed his eyebrow's together and frowned. "It's not really a secret. She always talks about him and Mr White gives her all the related stories so she can get interviews from him."

"Something tells me that it bothers you more than most Clark." Amber said as Clark put the rest of the chopped up vegetables in the pot. Clark laughed uncomfortably, "oh no of course not I just think she- what?" He asked upon noticing the deadpan stare Amber was giving him.

"Come on Clark, I'm not naïve and honestly, I had my suspicions after the first time I saw you two together. You just had the biggest smile on your face and this look in your eye when she showed you affection." Clark felt himself blush then sat down at his kitchen table with a sigh. "It's hard to talk to Lois about how I feel when she is constantly talking about Superman." He said intertwining his fingers and resting them on the table top. Amber sat down across from him and gently put a hand on top of his, "Don't worry Clark, you'll get your moment. When it comes, you just have to make sure not to miss it." Clark looked over at her questioningly. "What do you mean by that?" Amber smiled at Clark's question. "Honestly, I have no idea really. My mother used to say it to me sometimes. I think you should just let it mean what you want it to mean."

Clark nodded at Amber and spent the rest of the night thinking about the advice He'd been given. However it was some time before Clark did get his chance.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Please favourite and leave a review. Enjoy chapter twelve!**

Cathy gently caressed Amber's cheek. "Don't be scared Amber. I'll always be with you." Tears blurred Amber's vision as Cathy's eyes closed, her hand slipping away from Amber's face. "No, no, no stay with me! Don't go to sleep." Amber sobbed shaking Cathy. The pain flaring up made Cathy scream and open her eyes. "I'm sorry." Amber sobbed, "I just wanted to see you. I missed you so much, I shouldn't have come."

"Shhh. It's not your fault Amber." Cathy managed to say before her shallow breathing became louder and she began struggling for air. Amber's face hid no emotions. "Just hold on, I can save you." Amber said with her voice hitching and more tears pouring down her face. Cathy gently touched the angel pendant around Amber's neck and mouthed "I love you" before her eyes slowly closed. Cathy felt herself slip away from her body. When she finally opened her eyes she stood in the kitchen behind Amber. Amber was crouched over, rocking back and forth while and holding Cathy's body tightly. "Please come back." Cathy heard Amber weep and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her daughter and hold her close. A bright light began to engulf Cathy and the last thing she saw was her only daughter clinging onto her dead body, completely alone in the dimly lit kitchen of her apartment.

…

Several hours earlier…

…

Amber had had enough. She couldn't stand it anymore. With an angry yell that scared off some resting pigeons Amber hurled her half empty coffee cup across the balcony. It shattered along the ground sending liquid and broken pieces of china everywhere. Amber threw open the door and pushed past Clark, who was in the doorway looking very worried. "Amber?" Clark questioned apprehensively. She ignored him and almost kicked down the front door whilst leaving the apartment. Amber took the stairs down, feeling too skittish to stand in the elevator. The wide glass door loomed above her and Amber stopped and breathed with her eyes closed. With one great pushed she stepped out onto the street and was met with a cool wind that ruffled her blouse and hair. Clark suddenly appearing next to her made Amber start with a sharp inhale, "Want to, like, cough or something next time?" She asked sarcastically, to which Clark quietly cleared his throat with a closed mouth grin. "Are you… alright?" He asked concerned, making his grin fade away. "Yes. I just can't let myself be a victim anymore. I _can't_ be inside a second longer." Amber stated.

Clark was silent for a moment as he considered what Amber had said. He relaxed with a nod, "well, ah, I guess I'm happy to hear that. Hmm… would you like to get some brunch?"

"Yes!" Amber said quite belligerently as she grabbed Clark by the wrist and started dragging him down the street. She ignored her racing heart and trembling legs and kept powering along, soon finding that Clark was keeping up with her quite easily. She let go of his wrist and walked next to him still at the same pace but less aggressively. They walked down a few blocks until Clark pointed out a small diner and steered Amber towards it. Once inside Amber didn't relax until they had sat down by a window and a waitress had finished taking their orders. She said vaguely staring out the window while playing with the angel pendant Cathy had given her all those weeks ago. "Are you sure you're alright Amber?" Clark asked breaking her concentration. Amber's gaze snapped from the window and they locked eyes. It was an intense stare. Amber realized she was holding her breath and let it out with a sigh. "I'm fine; I just can't stand being inside anymore."

"Just remember you can take it slowly." Clark said still somewhat concerned. "No, I'm sick of taking things slow. I needed to jump in the deep end; I needed to just do it." Amber said before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. The waitress brought out their food and later Clark was urging Amber to finish what she'd ordered; He had noticed she'd been eating less lately.

After leaving the diner Amber and Clark walked aimlessly around the city eventually ending up in the park. The fresh air did Amber some good and she had calmed down enough to show her bubblier side, especially when a fat brown sausage dog approached them. Amber melted to her knees petting the dog and cooing it in a high-pitched voice, saying things like "cute little ears!" and "rollie pollie little puppy!" before it ran back to its owner. Clark couldn't help but chuckle at the scene and received an elbow to the ribs when he mimicked Amber's high pitched voice.

The sunlight warmed Amber's skin despite the chilly breeze and she smiled happily as she walked along side Clark. She nudged him playfully, "What are you thinking about there Clark? You look distracted." Clark looked sideways at Amber with a soft smile "Oh yes, I'm fine. You seem much happier now." Clark said nudging Amber back. She stumbled to the side with a giggle then fixed her stride. "So did you have plans for your day off before I… distracted you?" Amber asked. "Just a few errands to run, but they won't take me long." Clark replied lightly.

A high pitched shriek alarmed both Clark and Amber and they both stopped and looked around to see where it came from. Clark began running across the grass before Amber had even found where the scream had come from. She looked in the direction Clark was running to and saw a small boy, about 8 or 9 years old, clinging to a tree branch as his legs dangled in the air. The mother was franticly trying to calm the boy down but he screamed again as his grip began to loosen. Clark reached the boy and outstretched his arms. "It's okay son, I'll catch you. Just let go of the branch" Clark said loudly enough for the boy to hear; he screamed again and kicked his legs frantically not seeing that Clark's hands were only a few feet away from his legs. The boy's mother continued to talk to him and eventually, with some help from Clark, the boy let go of the branch with a loud scream and fell into Clark's arms. Clark caught the boy and handed him over to his very grateful mother. "Oh bless you, thank you for saving my son." She said to Clark as the boy wrapped his arms around the mother's neck and wailed into her shoulder. "Oh it was nothing," Clark said as he readjusted his glasses. "It much more than nothing! Thankyou sir." The woman said again holding her boy tighter.

Amber applauded Clark when he walked back over to the path, "nice work Clark." Clark glanced back over at the boy who still clung to his mother, "It was the right thing to do." Amber followed his gaze and watched the mother sooth her son; she ran a hand over his hair while still embracing him in a strong hug. It pulled at heart strings Amber had been trying to bury. "Let's go" she said turning and walking quickly down the path. Clark caught up easily and strolled alongside Amber with his hands in his pockets and occasionally whistling an upbeat tune.

When they got back to the apartment Amber went out to the balcony and cleaned up the coffee cup she'd smashed. In hindsight she regretted throwing the cup; she felt it was so juvenile to break something out of anger. Clark later went out to run his errands leaving Amber alone in the apartment. She found herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection and battling with reason. She wanted to but knew it was a bad idea. Her entire being ached and screamed to do it, to go out and see her, see her mother. Amber knew all the risks and why it wasn't smart of her to go yet a part of her didn't care about the risks and dangers. Eventually her emotions won over and Amber ran to the spare room and put on her jacket and grabbed her handbag. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins and made her heart beat faster. There was a ringing in her ears as Amber took the stairs and once she was out on the street she ran all the way to the subway station.

The subway ride felt like an eternity and when the doors finally opened at her stop Amber dashed off the carriage and up the stairs onto the street. Amber kept her head down and pace quick until the building she used to live in stood before her. It was built with red bricks, had a few boarded up windows and spray paint tags on the lower walls. She spent five minutes just staring at it. The first step was the hardest to make and after that Amber forced herself to keep moving forward ignoring the strong waves of emotions inside her. Through the doors she went and up the stairs. Familiar noises greeted her; fighting from the floor above, a baby crying and somewhere in the building there was loud music playing.

Amber eventually reached her old front door and found the spare key hidden behind the loose skirting board. Her breathing was shallow as she put the key into the lock and turned it. The lock unlatched and the door opened slightly with a creak. Amber could hear dishes being stacked in the kitchen. She crept down the hall and carefully peered into the kitchen. There stood Cathy. Bent over the sink and scrubbing away at a cooking pot. "Mom?" Amber said stepping into the door way. Cathy span around startled and their eyes met. Cathy dropped the dish sponge, the squelch it made when it hit the floor broke the tension and Cathy ran over and wrapped her arms around Amber. "Oh Amber, sweetheart." She said with her face buried in Amber's hair.

Amber buried her head into Cathy's shoulder and felt her face scrunch up with an overload of emotions. "Mom." She sniffed quietly. This love filled embrace lasted for minutes. Cathy finally pulled away and ran her wet hands over Amber's hair, "Let me look at you, oh! You're so beautiful." Amber looked back at Cathy smiling, and noticed how tired she looked. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair was dry and Amber didn't miss the bruising mark on her cheekbone. "What are you doing here Amber? I told you to-"

"I know what you told me but I couldn't do it anymore, I missed you so much." Amber said gently running a thumb over the bruise on Cathy's cheek. "Oh it's nothing sweetie." Cathy said taking Amber's hand and kissing it. "Are you thirsty? Let me get you something?" Cathy turned away and filled a glass with water for Amber. Amber took it then walked around the kitchen, nothing had changed. "Where's Doug?" she asked turning back to Cathy. Cathy wringed her hands together before filling a glass for herself and sitting down at the table. "He's at work still, should be home in a few hours. You picked the right day to come. He was called in today, not rostered as usual. Left him in such a mood…" Cathy said gently touching the bruise on her face. Amber sat down with Cathy, "Why can't you just come with me? Leave this place and him. We can start a new life, a happy life together, mother and daughter. Please." Amber took Cathy's hands and squeezed them gently and looked at her pleadingly. "You know I can't." Cathy said pulling her hands away from Amber's and getting up from the table. She looked out the kitchen window, "I love you Amber, with all my heart but-" Cathy stopped dead and looked at the doorway. Amber heard the front door opening. Their gazes met and they were both terrified. "Hide!" Cathy hissed roughly pulling Amber from the table and shoving her towards the pantry. She flung the door shut and darted back to the sink, Amber could see through the crack between the door and the frame.

Doug walked in, sat down and kicked off his boots. He watched Cathy washing up for a few seconds then stood up and walked over to her. He put both hands on her shoulders and smelt her hair. Cathy stopped washing and turned around to face him. "You're in a good mood." Cathy said drying her hands on her apron. "I had a good day. What are you cooking?"

"Oh nothing yet, I was going to start a roast after I'd finished cleaning." Doug kissed Cathy in an agreeing answer, "An organised woman would have had all her chores completed by this time Cathy. You've got room for improvement." Doug said before turning away from her, pouring a glass of scotch and sitting down at the table. Amber caught a glimpse of Cathy's pained expression before she turned back to the dishes. She washed and Doug watched her again, every few minutes taking a swig from his glass.

"Cathy?"

"Yes?" She asked scrubbing away at a frying pan. "Why are there two glasses of water at the table?" Doug asked staring intently at the glasses. Cathy's scrubbing slowed to a stop and she slowly turned around to face Doug. Amber held her breath, she knew what was about to happen. Doug didn't look up at Cathy but just played with the two glasses. "Well?" He asked again, this time there was an aggressive undertone. Cathy stood quietly, just staring at Doug. Amber bit down on her hand; she was shaking and couldn't look away. Doug stood up still holding both glasses, "Cathy!" Doug hurled one of the glasses across the room where it smashed against the wall. Cathy screamed and ducked to the side avoiding the shards of glass as they shattered off every surface. Amber's breathing quickened as she watched. Doug walked over and held the glass up to Cathy's face. "You want to tell me who you had over? Am I not good enough company for you anymore?" Doug paced back over to the table, "that hurts my feelings you know! I work hard every day for you all the while you here entertaining friends and having a fabulous time!" Doug shouted at Cathy. "I was not entertaining friends and having a 'fabulous time'! I just accidently filled two glasses for myself." Cathy yelled back. Amber looked back at Doug worried; Cathy had never been a good liar towards Doug. He didn't buy any of it, "Bullshit!" He smashed the other glass on the floor and approached Cathy. "You're a fucking liar and probably fucking every other man in this building while I'm at work!"

"Doug no!" Cathy screamed but Doug had already wrapped his hands around her throat and started choking her. Cathy struggled and knocked the rack of clean dishes off the counter sending dishes and cutlery everywhere with loud crashes. Amber watched horrified as Cathy scratched at Doug face and hands with all her might. Sobbing into her hands Amber closed her eyes as she listened her mother being strangled. She heard a hoarse cry for help amongst dishes being kicked around in the struggle. Amber felt something inside snap, and instead of tears, came pure anger. Nothing like she'd ever felt before. Amber kicked the pantry door open and jumped onto Doug's back before he could turn around. She held nothing back as she dug her finger nails into Doug's eyes and face until he screamed in pain and let Cathy go. Cathy stumbled and caught herself on the edge of the counter coughing and heaving for air. Doug managed to pry Amber's bloody fingers from his face and he pulled her around to face him, when he saw it was Amber he let out a maniacal laugh. "Oh I've been waiting for you to come back here you fucking cunt!" Doug shoved Amber and she staggered across the room and hit the table, turning it over as she fell. Amber expected Doug to keep going but instead he turned and instead started beating Cathy. Once, twice, three times he punched her; once in the stomach and two in the face before Amber could get up from the floor.

All the rage she felt clouded her vision and before Amber knew what she was doing her fingers were wrapped around the handle of a knife which she'd just plunged into Doug's lower back. The blade didn't go far in but it made Doug bellow in agony. He held Cathy by the hair with one hand and ripped the knife out with the other. He looked at the blood dripping off the blade then up at Amber. "Suffer" he said before turning and shoving the blade straight into Cathy's chest. Cathy immediately went pale and made a shallow gasping noise before Doug let her go and she fell to the floor. Amber watched Cathy fall and felt her entire world breaking apart right down the middle. There were moments of silence before Amber began screaming. She picked up a thick ceramic dish that lay on the floor and swung it at Doug's head. It hit him and knocked him to the floor. Still screaming Amber jumped towards Doug and swung the dish again, she forced it down over Doug's head with all her strength. Over and over again until blood began to splatter over Amber with every swing she made. She couldn't stop herself until the ceramic dish finally broke over Doug's face and he lay on the floor with a bloody and fractured head. Amber's lungs heaved for air and as she looked at what she'd just done. She crawled off him and scooted away until her back hit the upturned table. She sat staring at Doug's lifeless body for what felt like an eternity.

"Amber" Cathy's hollow voice broke Amber's daze and she quickly crawled over to Cathy. "Mom, oh my god." Amber said looking at the knife that was buried in Cathy's chest all the up to the handle. She grabbed a nearby dish cloth and placed it around the wound, "keep pressure on it, I'll call an ambulance. Everything will be okay, just stay with me." Amber said with a shaking voice; the anger she had felt melted away and was replaced with fear. Tears began to roll down Amber's cheeks. "Sweetie, it's okay. You're going to be okay." Cathy's eyes began to droop so Amber lifted her head and rested it in the crook of her arm. "Stay awake! Please let me help you." Amber said brushing some hair out of Cathy's face. Cathy gently caressed Amber's cheek. "Don't be scared Amber. I'll always be with you." Tears blurred Amber's vision as Cathy's eyes closed, her hand slipping away from the warmth of Amber's face. "No, no, no stay with me! Don't go to sleep." Amber sobbed shaking Cathy. The pain flaring up made Cathy scream and open her eyes. "I'm sorry." Amber sobbed, "I just wanted to see you. I missed you so much, I shouldn't have come."

"Shhh. It's not your fault Amber." Cathy managed to say before her shallow breathing became louder and she began struggling for air. Amber's face hid no emotions. "Just hold on, I can save you." Amber's voice hitched and more tears began to pour down her face. Cathy gently touched the angel pendant around Amber's neck and mouthed "I love you" before her eyes slowly closed. Amber felt her entire world crumble away and she shook Cathy's body, "please come back." Amber sobbed hard and silently as she cradled her mother tightly. Complete despair washed over Amber and her voice cut through the silence in a shrieking wail. Amber screamed and howled, tears dripping off her face and onto Cathy's. She stayed there, holding her mother for almost two hours.

When Amber finally let go of Cathy the daylight was gone and the kitchen was lit only by the street lights outside. Amber straightened Cathy's head and pulled a tablecloth over her before leaving the kitchen. She washed Doug's blood off her face before finding every single dollar and cent in the apartment. Once Amber had taken what she needed she made to leave but walking past the kitchen she caught a glimpse of Doug's body. _I killed him… I'm a murderer._ Amber took a deep breath and wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes. She walked in and emptied every bottle of spirit she could find throughout the kitchen then turned the oven gas on. Amber walked to the front door pouring the last bottle of spirit out as she did. It emptied and she smashed it on the floor before squatting down, pulling out Doug's zippo lighter and lighting the liquid trail.

Amber took off down the stairs, taking them four at a time as fast as she could. She'd reached the bottom floor before there was an explosion which made the entire building shake. Amber ducked out of the building as screams and yelling began to fill the night and people started gathering out on the street. Fire trucks and police cars screamed past Amber as she strode down the street clutching Doug's lighter in her pocket. Amber swore she heard someone yell out 'Superman' so she turned down a side street and headed further south of the city than she had before.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello readers! Sorry for such a long gap between chapters; I had University exams to study for. But that's all finished now and I'll be writing this story from now on, not essays (yay!). Anyway, enjoy chapter 13 and please leave a review.**

Lois flopped down on the hotel bed exhausted. She'd now been away from Metropolis for ten days and had spent every minute of it chasing leads and getting interviews for the story Perry White wanted. The blisters on her heels stung as she pulled off her shoes causing her to moan and rub her sore legs. After a few minutes she wearily slid off the bed and changed into a silk nightgown that was hanging over the back of a dressing table chair. It had just hit 9pm and Lois had finally finished for the day; she mustered up the energy to brush her hair and clean her teeth before sliding under the covers. Lois sank into the bedding and cuddled one of the pillows as the noises of the city drifted in through the window and lulled her into a deep sleep.

…

Later in the night Lois startled awake from a nightmare. Still gripping the sheets in the dark she breathed heavily as her emotions settled. Eventually Lois turned on the lamp by her bed then ran her fingers through her hair; her hand was clammy so she got up and tip toed across to the window. She pushed it open and placed her elbows on the windowsill and rested her head in her hands. The stars twinkled and the moon illuminated what she could see of the city. Lois closed her eyes and listened to the stillness of the night. Through her growing drowsiness Lois could just hear an odd noise; at first she wasn't entirely sure she'd even heard it but the noise grew louder. It was an odd flapping, like sheets on a clothesline… or a cape. _A cape!_ Lois opened her eyes and started searching the sky. Tracing the horizon back and forth she spotted him. He was flying towards her very quickly, the moonlight illuminating his body. Lois felt a smile slide onto her face, "Superman" she said almost dreamily. Superman reached the window and hovered so close Lois could have leaned out and touched him. "Hello Lois."

"Hello." Superman came closer to the window and was at head height with Lois. "Could I trouble you to come flying tonight?" Superman asked resting a hand on top of hers. Lois didn't waste a moment; she climbed up onto the windowsill, suddenly aware of how thin her nightgown was, and stepped out into Superman's outstretched arms. He caught her effortlessly and began flying upwards. The ground became distant and Lois entered a whole new world. Superman held Lois close to his chest and tucked some hair behind her ear. He smiled at her when she looked up at him. His fingers lingered at her cheek then traced her jawline making Lois quiver.

Superman flew amongst the low-hanging clouds and Lois rested her head on his chest; he was flying upright, his cape billowing out around them. Superman's steady, strong heartbeat soothed Lois, almost making her heavy-eyed. Not wanting to miss a moment Lois straightened up and looked at Superman. He looked back at her and his intense stare suddenly made Lois nervous. She inhaled slowly through her nose and pushed her lips upon Superman's and began kissing him. She sensed that Superman was surprised by the sudden action but he melted against her lips straight away. Superman wrapped his arms around her waist tighter as Lois brought her hands up and cupped his face. Her fingers began to run through his hair as the kissing intensified, its rhythm becoming fast and strong, making Lois's breathing hitch. Superman brought one hand up to the nape of Lois's neck and entwined his fingers in her hair and his other arm stayed wrapped around her waist. Lois coaxed Superman into yet a more intimate kiss and heard a deep moan escape his lips which gave her goose bumps. Superman's arm slid down Lois's body to her thigh and lifted it up. She wrapped her leg around his hip briefly wondering how tricky it was it for Superman to fly and kiss at the same time.

The thought made her smile suddenly which Superman noticed. "Something funny?" he whispered smiling himself. "No, no. Not at all." Lois answered resting her forehead against his. Superman untangled his hand out of Lois's hair and picked her up bridal style. "I supposed I'd better take you back now." His comment burst the little bubble Lois was in and she hid a sigh. "Yes I suppose it's getting late" she replied. Lois rested her head against Superman's chest once more as he flew her back to the hotel.

The flight back passed by quicker than Lois had wanted and the next thing she knew Superman was gliding in through the window and lowering to the floor. She noticed her bra on the floor and hoped that Superman wouldn't see it. "Would you like to stay… for a drink?" Lois asked, cringing at the almost desperate notes in her voice. Superman ran his hands down her shoulders and arms to her hands. He held them warmly and took his time to answer. "I'm sorry, I can't stay tonight" Superman said with a hint of regret in his voice. He stepped away from Lois towards the window and she couldn't help the disappoint she felt. Superman rose up and paused, turning on the windowsill, "I'll see you when you get back to Metropolis." Lois gave Superman a closed mouth smile and he fell backwards out the window into the air. Lois caught a glimpse of him fly away before going back to bed with a huff and a sigh. That night while she slept, Lois dreamt of clouds, beating drums and blue silk.

…

"I'll see you when you get back to Metropolis." Superman watched Lois smile at him before he let himself fall back first out of the window. He enjoyed the freefall for a few seconds before taking off towards the horizon. As he flew through a stormy ocean his thoughts stuck to one thing. Lois. Sometimes Superman wished he was a normal human being; that Clark Kent was the one simple life he lived, no secrets and second lives. The idea of settling down with someone he loved and starting a family was so appealing; but the only problem was the woman he loved was in love with only one half of him. Superman wanted to stay longer with Lois; in fact he didn't want to stop kissing her! But the more he saw Lois as Superman the more she fell in love with Superman, and the less she noticed Clark. He wanted so badly for Lois to notice his other side more, but he knew Clark Kent wasn't the type of man Lois went for. If ever he needed to talk to Lois about something, and have her listen properly, he could only see her as Superman. It was a double edged sword; the more he saw the woman he loved the less she loved him back. The realization sunk Superman's spirits which made his flight back to Metropolis heavy hearted.

…

Superman was approaching the coastline when he picked up screams and sirens coming from the city. Immediately accelerating his speed he shot over the ocean leaving ripples forming in the water seconds after he'd flown over. Superman followed the noises and flew towards the south of Metropolis, soon finding the cause of the distress. Black smoke rolled up into the early night sky and the building ablaze was beginning to crumple in on itself. Fire fighters were blasting the water into the building through the windows and ambulance officers were frantically treating peoples' injuries, ranging from smoke inhalation to lacerated limbs. Without slowing down Superman shot into the building through a hole in the roof and checked for anyone on that floor. Continuing down the building floors Superman pulled out two people trapped in a bathroom; the door had become too hot for them to touch so they'd turned on all the faucets to try and keep the fire away from them. Superman knew if the fire didn't kill them the collapsing building would have. After leaving them with medical officers Superman shot back into the building and checked the basement. Sitting against a wall was a disoriented old man; he was coughing and yelling wordlessly. Superman heard the foundations of the building begin buckle and give in, he ran over to the man as the building began to collapse, the basement ceiling coming down upon them. Superman crouched over the man and braced himself ready to take the weight of the building. The old man yelled in fear and covered his face as the building caved in. Superman exhaled through the thick unsettled dust, the hot building foundations against his back itched. Superman wrapped an arm around the man by his hips and used his other arm as a cage around his head. "Stay close to me!" he grunted through the weight on his back. The old man curled up close to Superman's body and Superman began to fly upwards, lifting the debris up with them. He was still hunched over, his body acting as a barrier between the man and the smouldering rubble. Finally he rose up out of the debris into the air and straightened himself up, the old man coughed hard and gasped for air. A spotlight was on them and a crowd of people cheered. The old man was seen to by medical officers immediately, giving him oxygen and checking for concussion. Fighter fighters were soaking the collapsed building sending black smoggy steam into the air.

A police officer walked over to Superman and spoke loudly over the cheering of the crowd. "Did you see where the source of the blaze came from?" Superman shook his head, "No sir, the building was too far alight to tell."

"Blast" the officer grumbled, "we're not sure if this was an accident or arson. But we have no way of knowing now." He said squinting at the damage. "My guess is arson with it being this part of town and all. There was one family in particular who lived here, always disturbing the other tenants with their yelling and fighting. He was a real violent type, you know? I had to deal with him myself a few times, Doug I think his name was, real bastard to his missus and kid. I'm sure he had a lot of enemies." The officer gossiped still looking at the building heap. "Did the family get out of the building?" Superman asked, trying to not let himself assume the worst. "We're taking names of the residents right now. You would have seen them in the building if they hadn't anyway Superman." The officer remarked. "Yes of course." Superman replied distantly. The officer walked away as his radio buzzed to life and Superman flew off heading back to his apartment; he needed to tell Amber what had happened. He zipped across the city in a split second. "Amber?" He called tapping on the balcony door. He waited for an answer but none came. "Amber?" Superman rapped harder and peered inside. He scanned the whole apartment and couldn't see her. She wasn't there. Superman took a breath and paced up and down. _She wouldn't have gone out walking at night; she'd never go anywhere alone…_ Superman scanned the whole building and still couldn't find her. _She's probably looking for Clark, so the Planet. She must be there…_ It was a long a shot but it was all Superman had to go with. He rocketed over to the Daily Planet and scanned the building whilst listening for her voice. He couldn't see or hear her. His stomach began to knot up and Superman ran a hand through his hair, "Amber where are you?" He whispered anxiously; he began to search through the city.


	14. Chapter 14

**Updated A/N: I edited this chapter again because I was unhappy with a few things. Enjoy!**

 **A/N: This chapter will probably have a few typos but I wanted to post it tonight as I feel it's been a while since my last chapter. Please favourite the story and leave a review.**

Metropolis police often referred to the south of the city as The Slums. It was by far the most dangerous part of the city, even with Superman recently cutting crime rates in half. A Daily Planet newspaper also recently stated 'evil is birthed in The Slums and spreads throughout the city in the shadows…'. This particular newspaper was on the floor of a late night diner in which Amber currently sat waiting for soup she'd ordered. With winter getting closer the diner was only slightly warmer than outside. Amber kept her jacket on and sunk back into the worn out seat. She'd deliberately chosen a table in the corner where she could see the entire room; it made her feel safer sitting that way. As she waited, Amber continually blocked out flashbacks of the events at the apartment by pinching her wrist until the pain became too distracting. But what Amber couldn't block out was how lost she felt. She had no family anymore. There was nothing at all tying her to Metropolis. _Nothing except Lois and Clark..._ Amber snorted at the thought; she only became a part of Lois and Clark's life because of Superman. _I was more a burden than a friend to both of them anyway! Clark almost got beaten to death because of me! Lois only took me in because it was Superman who asked her!_ Amber thought angrily. She wasn't sure if she should go back to Clark's apartment, she really wasn't sure of anything.

The soup was placed on the table along with a dirty spoon and Amber thanked the waiter quietly. She wiped down the spoon with her napkin before trying the soup. It was surprisingly hot and quite smooth. Amber ate the soup slowly still occasionally pinching her wrist. Before she knew it the clock above the door hit midnight and the diner was closing. Amber left a tip and walked out onto the street. She exhaled and looked around. Really she only had two options; stay on the streets for the night or go back to Clark's apartment. Amber turned and walked quickly down the street trying to stay out of sight. She wasn't going anywhere near a subway nor alleyway that night.

Eventually Amber found herself curled up in a bus stop booth at the brink of slumber. She'd decided against going back to Clark's apartment, she wasn't ready for the questions and the 'news' about her parents. Sudden yelling jolted her awake. Amber scooted to the side of the booth and peered about it; further up the street two men yelling at one another. With the help of the streetlights Amber could see they were well-dressed and standing toe to toe. Amber knew they were bad news. No one was out on the street this late in The Slums unless they were homeless, prostitutes or drug lords. Without warning the argument turned into a fistfight. Amber watched perplexed as both men ripped at each other's coats and threw elbows and fists around. Something fell on the ground between them as they knocked each other around. The thing got trodden on a few times but remained unseen by the men. After a few minutes the fist fight broke off as one man ran away with the other chasing him; both men had a limp in their stride. Amber waited until the silence became deafening before she crept out and walked over to the thing that had fallen on the ground. Amber picked it up and examined it. It was a clear packet filled with a fine white powder. _Probably cocaine_ , Amber thought heading back to the booth. She had heard of it before and knew what it looked like but she didn't know what exactly it did to a person. She sat down in the corner looking at it. There was about a tablespoon of cocaine in the packet. Amber opened it and smelt the powder but didn't pick up any odours. She then dipped a finger in the powder, some sticking to her skin. Amber brought her finger out of the bag and examined it closely. Out of curiosity she tasted it; it was bitter and made her tongue feel slightly numb. Amber knew cocaine was sorted or smoked but she'd never heard that tasting it got you high. She began to feel something happening; something that felt amazing.

…

Clark was hard at work at the Daily Planet when he got the news Lois was arriving back in Metropolis the following day. It had been two weeks since the building fire and Amber going missing. He'd told Lois about it over the phone and apologised profusely as she panicked and even cried. He hadn't heard from her since. Her last words being 'you better fucking find her you goddamn idiot!' still bounced around in Clark's head almost every minute of every day. What she'd said had stung and he couldn't bring himself to see her as Superman. He didn't feel like Superman should defend Clark Kent's screw up. Clark let out a sigh and rubbed his face; he had been searching for Amber all through the city but still hadn't found her. When the police reports came back with three missing tenants all presumed dead, every newspaper in the city was busy writing about 'Superman's screw up' which made _a lot_ of people angry with Superman . The three missing were the Adderley family. This information so far hadn't reached the newspapers and Clark was thankful of that but he knew how dedicated some journalists were and knew that the information wouldn't stay secret forever. The building was also destroyed beyond recognition so there was no chance of searching for bodies. Clark hoped Amber was safe. He knew very well that she also could have been in the fire if she'd left to see her parents. He shuddered at the thought, if that were true it means he really did screw up. Monumentally.

Jimmy bounced over to Clark thankfully distracting him from his thoughts. "Hey Clark can you have a look at these shots for me? I need a second opinion before I show the chief."

"Sure Jimmy." Clark took the photographs and began looking through them; they were all of people on the streets. The photos were quite depressing and bleak. "So what am I looking at here?" Clark asked uncertainly. "They're shots of 'Metropolis's underprivileged youth'. The chief thinks it's going to be a big paper seller." As Jimmy spoke Clark came across a photo of a girl curled up sleeping on a park bench, her face wasn't visible but her black curls were. Clark stood up, startling Jimmy, "something wrong Clark?"

"This photo, where did you take it? When did you take it?" Clark asked showing Jimmy which one he was looking at. "Oh her, um… that was yesterday over in the east side of the park, near that great hotdog stand. Why is there something wrong with it?" Jimmy asked concerned taking the photographs back off Clark. Clark had started walking out. "No they're great Jimmy; I have to go, if the chief asks, tell him I've got an emergency." Clark called out as he left the area. He took the stairs and ran down as quickly as humanly possible since there were other people in the stairwell. Once out on the street he began running towards the park. Usually Clark would have changed into Superman but this rescue was different; it was something Clark Kent had to fix, not Superman. A very new feeling to him. On he ran, dodging people and cars until he reached the edge of the park. He was on the north side so kept on running until finally he stopped by the hotdog stand. Clark looked around past the families and morning runners but couldn't see Amber so he started searching for her. Being so overwhelmed made noises and even colours too loud and bright to Clark. He stopped walking and rubbed his face then took a few deep breaths. With his eyes still closed Clark listened, he listened to the whole park, slowly stripping away the sounds of footsteps, animals, wind and people's voices. Wherever Amber was, she wasn't talking. Clark used his vision to see past acres of woodland. He scanned back and forth all around him, looking further and further in the distance until… there she was. A triumphant and disbelieving laugh rippled through Clark. It was Amber, alive and well; she was roaming around on a patch of grass with a hazy smile on her face. The triumphant relief Clark felt became clouded with concern and he ran in her direction; he watched Amber stumble and giggle to herself, this wasn't like her.

As Clark ran into the clearing he called her name but didn't stop running until he was right in front of her. Amber looked up at him then wrapped her arms around his chest. "Hello Clark." Her words were soft and bubbly and Clark pulled Amber away and looked her over. Amber's cheekbones were looking hollow and there were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. Clark opened his mouth to say something but Amber wriggled out of his grip and lay on the grass, "the grass is so soft here Clark, come and try it." She said running her hands repetitively over the grass blades; Amber hummed and closed her eyes. Clark didn't want to believe it but there was no denying Amber was high; he could smell the high amounts of dopamine practically radiating off Amber. "Amber? Do you know where you are right now?"

"I'm away from them, away from all the bad troubles." Amber said sitting up and frowning. "My arms are itchy." Amber began scratching her skin so hard she was leaving long red marks that began to welt. Clark came down onto his knees and grabbed her hands, "Amber what drug have you taken?" Amber struggled against his grip, "Let go! I don't need your help. Clark!" Amber struggled harder and got one hand free then slapped Clark across the face, knocking his glasses askew. Amber immediately stopped struggling and looked at Clark then back to her hand. Her expression was heartbroken, "I'm so sorry Clark. I'm so sorry I… I'm… I'm just like him." Amber's started sobbing and covered her face as Clark let her other hand go. He fixed his glasses then placed a hand on Amber's shoulder noticing how much she winced away from the touch. "How about we go home Amber?" He said quietly. "I don't have a home Clark. It burned." Amber's words were muffled by her hands but Clark heard them clearly.

His heart sank, she knew about her parents. "Amber…" Clark trailed off. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to comfort her. "Let me take you somewhere safe Amber." Clark finally said. Amber looked up, she had tears under her eyes and wet eyelashes. "You sounded like Superman just now" Amber mumbled standing with Clark. She looked around the park almost paranoid then up at Clark, "usually he rescues me, I wonder who rescues him." Amber said quietly. Clark nervously fixed his glasses, "Come on, let's go." And he began leading her through the park towards his apartment.

During the walk Clark could hear Amber's heartbeat changing rhythm and even her blood pressure changing if he listened carefully enough. He knew she would be feeling the comedown off whatever drug she was on. Half way back Amber started to shiver, the lack of food and sleep were most likely also taking a toll on her body. Clark ended up hailing a taxi for them and by the time they reached his front door Amber was in a cold sweat and barely coping with staying awake. Amber collapsed in the hallway, tumbling to the floor. Clark rushed to her and dragged her into his shower then turned on the cold water. "Amber wake up! What drugs have you taken?" Clark yelled while shaking her; he ignored the cold water splashing up onto him. She didn't respond. "Amber tell me what drugs you've taken!" Clark shouted shaking her harder, he didn't know what she'd taken or how much of it and couldn't risk her overdosing. The sleep exhaustion made it harder to wake Amber. Eventually he gave up, scrambled to his bathroom drawers and pulled out smelling salts. He held them to her face but she didn't rouse. Clark yelled and threw the bottle across the room. Not having any other choice he grabbed Amber's hand, noticing bruising and nail marks on her wrist, and made a precise incision on the back of her hand with his heat vision. Blood began to pool at the wound and Amber's face twitched; the only sign she wasn't dead yet. Clark licked the blood off her hand and rolled it over his tongue. He immediately could tell she had very low blood sugar and could also taste traces of cocaine in her blood, and a lot of it. "Amber what the fuck!" Clark screamed in disbelief. The incision he'd made wasn't deep enough to need any bandaging so he ignored that and listened to her heartbeat. It was faint and too slow. Clark rolled Amber onto her back, her legs still in the shower and the rest of her body out on the bathroom tiles, and started performing chest compressions. "Come on Amber" Clark grunted. He was soaked in cold water from the shower and it was dripping from his hair and all over his glasses lenses so he ripped them off and kept doing the chest compressions. He was steady and careful, making sure to not break her ribs. After ten minutes Amber's heartbeat was steady and stronger and Clark flopped back on the floor. He closed his eyes and focused on Amber's breathing and heartbeat. Both were regular and strong. The sound of the water hitting the tiles became soothing to Clark but he noticed Amber was starting to shiver. He got up, turned off the water and took Amber's coat off, finding a small packet of cocaine in one of the pockets. Clark shoved the packet into his pants pocket and pulled off Amber's shoes, socks, trousers and blouse then wrapped her in a towel. Amber's hair was dripping wet so Clark towel dried it as best he could before carrying her to her bedroom and placing her in the bed. He tucked her in and left the room leaving the door open.

An hour later it was around 4pm and his phone began ringing. It was Mr White who chewed off Clark's ear then abruptly hung up the phone. Clark had told Mr White he had to deal with a personal emergency. Mr Perry didn't like hearing the excuse but didn't fire Clark which was always a common threat he used on his employees. Clark sat on his kitchen floor for the rest of the afternoon holding the packet of cocaine. It was almost empty and was of a good quality; he could smell its purity. Clark was so incredibly relieved to find Amber but the cocaine. How Amber found this cocaine he wanted to know. There were many questions Clark needed answers to.


	15. Chapter 15

In the early hours of the morning Amber finally woke up. She looked around unsure of where she was and in the dark thought she could see her bag on the floor. Amber slowly sat up and rolled her legs out of bed; she staggered over to the light switch and flinched away at the sudden brightness. Amber looked around and recognised the bedroom and some of her belongings. _Clark…_ Amber thought remembering the day before. Her memory was broken and muddled but she recalled being in the park... the soft grass… and Clark walking with her. Amber shook her head and swallowed; her mouth was dry and sticky so she put on one of her nightgowns and left the room to get some water. In the hallway Amber began to feel lightheaded and felt her way to the kitchen, using the walls to guide her in the darkness. When she made it to the kitchen Amber gulped down three glasses of water before slowing down and sipping the fourth. There was leftover Chinese takeaway at the front of the refrigerator which Amber devoured without heating up. Her stomach was so empty, to the point where it ached, Amber barely chewed the food. Once the Chinese was gone Amber washed her face and hands in the kitchen sink and dried herself with her nightgown. A sigh breathed out of Amber's lungs and she slid down the side of a counter and sat on the floor. She spent a great deal of time staring at the floor and piecing together everything that had happened over the last few days; though she wasn't really sure how many days had gone by. Below rock bottom was the most accurate description to how Amber felt.

A door opening and footsteps coming from the hall pulled Amber from her thoughts. Clark walked in with ridiculously ruffled bed hair and was pulling on a soft purple coloured nightrobe. He sat down on the floor in front of Amber causing her to look down at her hands. She didn't know what to expect from him. "How are you feeling?" Clark asked. Amber shrugged, _you're pathetic Amber,_ she thought over and over. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Yesterday? What time is it?" Amber began to feel anxious. "4am. You've been gone for two weeks." Amber couldn't process anything after hearing that she'd been gone for that long. _Two weeks… two fucking weeks. What happened to me?..._ "I remember…being high in the park and lying in the grass. And we walked together. But not much else."

"You almost OD'd Amber" Clark said seriously, "You would have died in the park if I hadn't found you. Where did you get this cocaine?" Clark asked dismayed whilst pulling the packet out from his nightrobe pocket. "I found it." Amber said still not looking up at Clark. "Why on Earth did you start taking it?" Clark asked, "I'm getting rid of the rest of it." He stood up, opened the packet and poured the powder into the sink and flushed it away by turning on the faucet. Amber didn't move; she could feel a part of her flare up in rage; it burned hot but was kept hidden. After Clark sat back down Amber looked up at him and said "my mother is dead. Nothing else mattered."

"Why didn't you come back here? I was so worried about you. I almost started to believe that you were dead too!"

"I wish I were dead; my mother was taken away from me! ...Right in front of me." Amber yelled at first but finished her sentence in a thin whisper. Her face scrunched up and she covered her eyes with her hand. "Amber what happened to you that day?" Clark shifted closer to but didn't touch Amber; if he had Amber knew she would have broken down into more tears. _Do I tell him the truth? No, he won't understand. What do I say then? Fuck, I don't know!_ Amber wiped her eyes and stood up. "I need some air" she said, her voice low and hoarse. Clark followed her out to the balcony noticing the goose bumps forming on Amber's skin. They stood in silence; Clark waiting for Amber to speak and Amber figuring out what to say. "The fire didn't kill my mother. Doug, my father, did… When you were out that afternoon I visited my mother; I missed her so much, nothing could describe how much I needed her." Amber's voice trembled and she cleared her throat before continuing. "While I was there Doug came home early. He wasn't too happy to see me and… and began to get violent. I watched as he shov-shoved a knife into m-my mother's che-chest!" Amber's sobs her sentences into pieces and tears were pooling in her eyes. "He killed her. That bastard de-destroy-ed my whole wor-world and took away th-the one person who mean-meant eve-ry-thing to m-me." Tears rolled down Amber's cheeks and off her chin. "Where is he now? I'll call the police and-"

"He's dead too." Amber cut off with a heavy breath. "How?" Clark questioned; his stomach began to knot. "It was my life on the line." Amber whispered. Her sobs were gone and she looked at the city lights. "He would have killed me too; I knocked him over the head and left. I had nothing to do with the fire." Amber added, glancing at Clark. "Why didn't you come back here or call the police afterwards?"

"I thought abo-about it. I-I felt like I was a bu-burden to you." Amber admitted, sobbing again, and looking away from Clark. "Amber, no" Clark said placing a hand on Amber's shoulder and turning her towards him. "You are many things to me, but a burden is not one of them. And never will be." Clark's words made Amber smile weakly but wasn't completely won over. _You only agreed to take me in because it was Lois who asked_. Amber felt another tear roll down her cheeks.

"I'm so lost Clark!" She burst out with a whimper trailing her words. "I don't know what to do, or where to go or anything. I miss my mother so much." Amber squealed covering her face. The cold air was suffocating and Clark stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Amber provided sudden and comforting warmth. Her face got buried into his chest and his embrace was so strong she couldn't move. "Everything will be okay, I promise." Clark whispered. Amber wriggled her arms free and hugged Clark back. She felt drained and sore; her body ached all over.

Amber didn't know or particularly care how long they stood there for but finally Clark pulled away and suggested she try to get some more sleep. He kept an arm around Amber until they reached the hall. Amber walked into the spare room and Clark into his; the only noises made were the doors closing and snapping shut in unison.

…

Sleep never came to Amber when she lay back down in bed. She watched in agony as the hours ticked by on the small clock by the bed. At one point there were police sirens out on the street o loud she got up and closed the window. On her way back to the bed Amber thought she heard noises coming from Clark's room. The squeak of his window made her assume he was closing his too. Finally it hit 6am and Amber got up and left the room. She weakly paced around the dimly lit apartment then decided a shower would be the most practical thing to do with herself. As she remembered, there was a stack of clean towels in the bathroom. Whilst in the shower Amber noticed, amongst the other cuts and bruises on her body, a small cut on the back of her hand which felt more like a burn than a cut. The masses of tangles in her hair took a long time to brush out and she scrubbed her skin until it was pink.

Clark was cooking eggs in a frying pan when Amber quietly walked into his kitchen. Amber had put on a pair of overalls and was towel drying her hair. He looked over and smiled at her cheerily, "good morning, I hope you're hungry."

"Somewhat. Did you hear those police sirens last night?" Amber asked scooting onto of one of the counter tops. Clark frowned, "Yes I did. Hopefully it was nothing too serious. How many eggs?"

"All of them." Amber said mockingly serious. Clark raised his eyebrow at her, "And bacon?"

"All the bacon." Amber replied in a manly voice. Clark smiled with a shake of his head and went back to cooking. He playfully swatted Amber off the counter and she made herself comfortable at the table and picked at her nails for a few minutes. "Order up." Clark said placing a plate in front of Amber. She looked at the plate and glanced up at Clark, "uh.."

"All the bacon." Clark said mimicking her. Amber laughed and took some bacon with her fork as Clark went back into the kitchen to get a plate for himself. The food was divided, and toast and coffee was brought to the table. Amber began to feel happy, similar to how things were before she ran off. Clark made a few jokes and told a story from his childhood as Amber leant back in her chair to listen. After eating Amber cleaned up while Clark got ready for work. She was sitting on the counter braiding her hair when he was packing his briefcase. "Please call me if you need anything today." Clark said picking up his coat at the door. "I'll be here when you get back." Amber joked.

…

Lois paid the taxi driver and pulled her baggage from the trunk. Into the Dailey Planet she marched in search of the Chief. As expected he was in his office lighting a cigar. She dropped her suitcases by her desk and walked directly over to his office. After knocking Lois was waved inside. "Morning chief."

"Lois! What have you got for me?" The chief said sitting down. Lois pulled out a folder from her handbag and passed it to him. "Photographs, statements, legal documents, everything for my story."

"Well get typing then. This is a front page story!" Mr White grunted flipping through the folder. He handed it back to Lois and waved out of his office. Lois sat down at her desk and became engrossed in her story; Clark suddenly stumbling over her suitcase didn't surprise her in the least. "Oh, hey Clark." She said briefly looking away from her typewriter. Clark fixed his glasses then smiled at her. "Lois, you're back!" He carefully walked around to his desk and sat down. "Yeah, I landed a few hours ago."

"Uh wow, c-coming straight from the airport. You must have a lot to, uh, a lot to write about." Clark replied looking across the desks at Lois who was still typing. "Hm? Oh yeah, I sure do." Lois answered putting a pencil behind her ear. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Clark; not after their last phone call. She was worried sick about Amber and terrified of what may have happened to her. Thinking about it made Lois anxious and upset so she closed her eyes and brushed some hair out of her face and continued typing.

The day passed by and the Dailey Planet was buzzing. Clark was in and out of the office which was unusual for him and Lois stayed glued to her desk hammering away at her keyboard. When Lois was gathering her things to leave at the end of the day she noticed that Clark had already left. She shrugged to herself and headed for the lifts.

…

Clark walked out of the Dailey Planet and headed home in the afternoon. He couldn't help but regularly phone Amber that day to check she was okay. By midday she had come down with a fever and was vomiting almost every hour. Clark got back to find Amber curled up in bed in a cold sweat. "Oh dear. How are you feeling?" Clark asked feeling Amber's clammy forehead. "If hell was a feeling." Amber replied in a weak voice. Clark exhaled through his nose then left to get a cold flannelette. When he came back Amber had kicked off the covers and was spread out with a leg hanging off the bed. Clark placed the flannelette on Amber's forehead and filled a glass of water for her. "Try to get some sleep." Clark said to Amber; she let out a moan and tried to wave a hand but gave up with a feeble arm twitch. Clark left the room and began making potato mash for Amber to eat for dinner; she had come down with the flu and Clark could only wonder how she was feeling.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for such a long wait between chapters; I kept changing how this one ended. Also a big thankyou to those who reviewed and favorited.**

Lois slowly punched away at her typewriter keys. She'd been working on her story since arriving back at the Dailey Planet and now, back in her apartment, her tiredness had just hit exhaustion. The only light was coming from a lamp by the wall and it illuminated the table and her cold cup of coffee. Though Lois had been home for hours, she'd barely written more than a paragraph. "Shit" Lois muttered running her hands through her hair and sighing. She picked up her box of cigarettes and went outside, lighting a cigarette as she stepped onto the balcony. The tobacco burned red as Lois inhaled deeply. Lois leant against her balcony and took another drag; she couldn't stop thinking about Amber. Where she was, if she was okay, what had happened to her… Lois admitted to herself that she was terrified. She looked up into the sky hoping to find the one person she both wanted to see and not want to see at the same time. Superman had placed Amber in Lois's care with confidence that she would be looked after. Lois dreaded to think of what Superman would say to her right now. She flicked the remainder of the cigarette over of the edge of the balcony and went back inside. Pacing around the apartment didn't help Lois and she ended up slumped down by her telephone. She chewed her lip for a while in thought before picking up the receiver. The phone line buzzed in her ear as she punched in Clark's phone number. With it being so late it rang for a long time but Clark did pick up. "Hello?"

"Hi Clark, it's Lois" she said quietly. "Lois, hi, how are you?" Lois picked up on the weary and cautious note in Clark's voice. "I was calling to see if you had any news on Amber." She replied closing her eyes and biting her tongue waiting for the answer. "Actually I, ah, I found Amber. She-"

"You found her!?" Lois cried standing up. "Yes, yes, she's in bed. She has the, the flu but, um, otherwise she's fine." Clark responded quickly. "I've got to come see her Clark." Lois said reaching for her shoes. "She's sleeping right now-"

"I don't care I just have to see her." Lois was putting her shoes on as she spoke and slammed the receiver down before Clark could answer her.

…

Clark heard Lois's taxi pull up in the street and listened to her sigh at the slow speed of the lift. He counted her quick steps to his front door, and then her frantic knocking started. The knocking didn't stop until he opened the door. "Come in" he said quietly. Lois walked in and looked around. She turned back to Clark with questions in her eyes. "The spare room." Clark said and watched her tip toe down his hallway and peer into the bedroom. Amber had finally been sleeping comfortably for a few hours and didn't stir when Lois looked in. When Lois walked back up the hallway she had tears in her eyes. "Oh Clark." She whispered wrapping her arms around him. Clark was so caught off-guard Lois had pulled away before he could react. "Do you want a coffee?" Lois asked turning towards his kitchen. Clark didn't answer because Lois began making two cups anyway. She made his with three spoons of sugar; the complete opposite to how he usually drank it. Lois handed him the steaming cup, walked over to his couch and sat down. Clark hid his grimace at the overly sweet liquid and joined her. "When, where did you find her?" Lois asked grasping her cup in both hands. Clark wasn't entirely sure what Amber would want Lois knowing. He quickly decided it would be best that he not say anything and let Amber tell Lois the story.

"But why can't you tell me if you already know?" Lois murmured staring at Clark. He adjusted his glasses uncomfortably, "when Amber is better I'm sure she'll tell you what happened. It's not my place to… well frankly; it's not my place to gossip."

"Yes I suppose that's true." Lois answered drinking her coffee. They sat in silence for some time; eventually Lois reached over and put her hand on Clark's forearm. "I owe you an apology Clark; for what I said on the phone. It was unfair and harsh of me to blame you; I am very sorry." Lois's eyes were big and piercing as she spoke. Clark could see very shade of brown in her irises. He felt a lump form in his throat so he just softly smiled and placed his hand over Lois's. This moment was the most intimate the two had ever been; their knees were touching and Clark could feel Lois's breath on his skin. "Dinner." Lois mumbled still staring at Clark. "I'm sorry?" Clark questioned. Lois blinked twice, then shook her head and brushed her hair out of her face; the holding hands broken. Clark withdrew his hand automatically and rested it in his lap. "Before I left you asked if I wanted to get dinner." Lois stated. "Oh, uh yes I did. You said you'd give me a call and we'd organise something."

"Does the offer still stand?" Lois asked looking anticipative. Clark wasn't entirely sure what was happening but his stomach fluttered and he felt like he was floating; immediate dread clouded over and he checked to make sure he wasn't actually floating. Clark was still surprised at how his mood swings affected his abilities. He realized he hadn't answered Lois yet. "Of course! That's if you, uh, still want t-to go?" He questioned uncertainly. Lois smiled almost shyly at Clark and nodded her head, "Yes, I'd still like to go out to dinner with you." Clark was astounded at Lois's sudden eagerness. He had been asking her out since he first started at the Dailey Planet and only now she was accepting his offer; and so willingly too! Clark's stomach gave another flutter. "H-how about this weekend?"

"Yes that works great. I'll leave you to organise where we'll eat. I'd better get going though, it's really late." Lois said eyeing the clock on the other side of the room; it read 1:07. Clark sat staring as Lois down the rest of her coffee. A rather unpleasant thought had occurred to him. "Lo-Lois?"

"Yeah Clark?" Lois asked as she stood up to put on her coat. Clark followed her to his front door. "You're not agreeing to this because I found Amber are you? This isn't some kind of-"

"Oh god Clark no! Not at all."

"Okay, well goodnight then." Clark opened his door for Lois and she bid him goodnight and quickly left. He still had his doubts but had dreams that night that left him gripping the sheets in his sleep.

…

Clark was woken up by the scent of freshly brewed coffee. He could hear Amber in the kitchen and frowned; she wasn't supposed to be out of bed. As Clark got out of bed he noticed, quite puzzled, how askew his sheets were. Amber was stirring a cup of coffee when Clark walked into the kitchen. "You're too sick to be up and about." He said feeling her forehead. He tutted at her temperature. Amber coughed dryly and wrapped her woollen jacket around her tighter. "It's too stuffy in bed, I needed fresh air." Amber said handing Clark the cup of coffee she'd made. She'd made it exactly how Clark took it; he was impressed.

Amber headed for the balcony to get some fresh air and Clark followed her, wanting to tell her about last night. Amber sat down, sneezed at the bright sunlight and blew her nose. "I'll go down to the drug store today and get you something to help you feel better." Clark said frowning. Amber gave a close-mouthed smile with her eyes shut against the sunlight, "Thank you."

"So… Uh, Lois got back yesterday. She came around last night to see you." Amber's eyes opened with surprise. "Really? Why didn't you wake me?"

"It was very late and she didn't want to wake you up since you're sick."

"Why'd she come so late?" Amber asked curiously. Clark adjusted his glasses before answering. "When you went missing, I phoned her and told her the... the news. As you could imagine she did not take it well. But last night she phoned me asking about you, and she came straight over when I told her you were in bed sleeping."

"Did you tell her why I went missing?" Amber asked suspiciously eyeing Clark. "No not at all!" Clark said with a great deal of emphasis on the 'no'. "I told Lois it wasn't my place to talk about it." Amber relaxed upon hearing what Clark was saying. "Thank you Clark."

"Lois also accepted my, uh, my date offer."

"You asked her out last night too?" Amber raised her eyebrows at Clark. "No, no! I asked her out before she went overseas, last night she said yes."

"Really? Oh la-la." Amber giggled. "When is this happening?" she asked with interest. "This weekend. She left me to organise the details."

"So what are the details?"

"Um… dinner, then I'd take her home." Clark wasn't surprised at the dull gaze Amber gave him. "Well that's good. But, you need to add a little more if you want to impress her. Lois is defiantly a woman who wants to be impressed. She probably already has this idea of where you'll take her; what you'll talk about; what you'll be wearing even. If you want this date to knock her off her feet you need to make it unpredictable- something she won't be able to guess easily."

"How do you know all this Amber?" Clark asked surprised. "Lois had a lot of magazines in her apartment; plenty of pages were earmarked." Clark nodded then scratched the back of his head. He had a feeling Amber wasn't wrong about Lois's expectations of the date.

…

When Saturday evening finally came, Clark was getting ready for his date. It was taking longer than he expected because Amber was helping him pick out a suit. "You can't wear anything you wear to work. Tie included." Clark rolled his eyes but changed anyway; he found one of his nicer suits at the back of his wardrobe and an olive green tie he'd not had the chance to wear yet. Amber's nod of approval was comforting and she handed him a compact mirror. He raised an eyebrow in question. "To check your teeth." Clark made a silent 'O' then turned around and check his teeth and face. He handed back the mirror and was finally ready to leave.

…

Lois sipped her glass of red wine, eyeing Clark's outfit as she did. He was dressed well tonight, nothing remotely dull about him. Lois had a hunch that Amber had something to do with it. "So how have you been… lately?" Clark asked adjusting his in seat slightly. "Well, pretty good. The story is coming along really well and being overseas was lovely when I wasn't chasing leads, how about you?"

"A lot better than the past few weeks, that's for sure. You uh, look… that's a lovely dress." Clark's cheeks went red and he smiled at Lois's surprise. "Thank you. And I've got to say you look great. You should were clothes that nice all the time; would definitely make you stand out more in a crowd." Lois leant back into her chair and eyed Clark's suit once more; he looked so different. Clark was about to answer when a waitress walked over to take their order. When she left a piano started from across the room. Lois looked over to see a plump man with a moustache playing and a woman standing close by getting ready to sing. Clark really caught her off-guard tonight, she thought they would have gone to a diner but instead she was sitting in a silver service restaurant that had live jazz. She could tell he'd put a lot of thought into the date; the thought flattered Lois.

Their meals arrived and dessert came soon afterwards and before Lois knew it she was eating chocolate cake and laughing at a funny story Clark was telling from his childhood. "The whole silo emptied before I could stop it. That was the fastest I'd ever run in my whole life that day, my dad couldn't catch me thank God." Clark chuckled as he spoke. Lois had laughed herself breathless and leant back in her chair to recover. The piano and singer duo finished their last song which changed the atmosphere of the room; it pulled Lois and Clark from their own little world and brought them back to reality. Lois went to the bathroom and Clark paid the bill. They talked for a little longer then decided they'd better leave to let the restaurant close.

Despite being the centre of the city there were no taxis around when Lois walked outside with Clark. Clark noticed this first as Lois was busy trying to not gasp at the freezing temperature. The coat she'd chosen to wear was thin so it didn't crush her dress but also did nothing to keep her warm. "I suppose we'll have to walk" Clark said buttoning up his own coat. Lois nodded with a clenched jaw to keep from shivering and walked alongside Clark, her arm wrapped around his, down the street. She almost started crying at the snow that began to fall. When Clark noticed he stopped walking and watched it falling from the sky. "I always liked snow, it's sort of calming." Clark looked down at Lois and his face dropped "Lois! Why didn't you say anything? Here have my coat." Clark said unbuttoning his coat. Lois tried to refuse but unclenching her jaw allowed the shivers she'd been holding back to come through. Her teeth chattered and her shoulders jittered about. Clark swung his coat around Lois's shoulders and buttoned the top three buttons. It was warm thanks to Clark but Lois continued to shiver even harder. Suddenly Lois found herself pressed against Clark chest and his arms wrapped around her, one rubbing her back to help warm her up.

"I wish you'd said something." Clark said. Lois didn't answer but shuffled closer to Clark; he was so warm and smelled really nice. She was surprised at Clark's sudden hug, Lois always known Clark to keep his distance. They stood there in the lightly falling snow for some amount of time; Lois was too comfortable to care how long. "I think we should get out of the snow." Clark mumbled. Lois pulled away and looked at him, his shoulders were damp and she frowned. "Yes I suppose we should." Clark kept an arm around Lois's shoulder as they walked, to keep her warm Lois supposed. When they reached her front door Lois was toasty warm in Clark's coat. Clark, however, was wet through to his skin. "You better come inside and dry off." Lois said as she put her in the key in the lock. "That would swell." She snorted at Clark's use of the word and walked inside. She turned on the lights then walked over and turned up the heating dial. "Would you like a coffee?" she asked turning to Clark who was pulling off his suit jacket. "Yes please. Wow even my feet are wet." Lois smiled and nudged him towards her heater. "Dry off over there." Clark hung his jacket and tie over the couch and took off his shoes and socks. He hung his socks over the heater and undid his cufflinks. Lois hung Clark's coat over the couch next to his jacket then hung hers up before making the coffee.

When she walked in with two coffee cups Clark was sitting on the floor next to the heater trying to dry his shirt. It was wet at his shoulders and Lois could see how broad they were. She realized she was checking him out. She was checking out Clark Kent! _Oh my god._ She thought setting their cups down. "Would you like a towel? Or a blanket?"

"A towel would be great thank you." Lois fetched one from her bathroom and handed it to Clark. He dried his face and hair which was sent up in all directions. Lois smiled as he ran his hands through it trying to neaten it back up; it didn't work too well. Lois joined Clark by the heater and sipped her coffee. She found she was staring at Clark and he gave her a questioning look. "Oh sorry it's just… you look like you just got out of bed." She said with a giggle. Clark tried again to fix his hair and Lois, still giggling, grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to tease. I think it looks cute." Clark went red and sipped his coffee which made Lois laugh again. "I'm not that funny am I?"

"Yes you are." Lois said leaning forward and wiping her eyes. Clark started laughing at Lois's laughter. The laughter died down and Lois leant forward to put her empty coffee cup down. "Your, ah, dress tag is sticking out." Clark said as she was leaning forward. Lois instantly sat up trying to reach around and tuck it back in. _Of Course I wore the dress that I can't move my shoulders in!_ "Let me get it for you." Clark leaned over, his face coming in close so he could see over Lois's shoulder and tucked the tag out of sight. "Thank you." Lois murmured staring at Clark; he was still close. She could see his eyes looked bigger than normal through his glasses lens and he had thick eyelashes. She realized that their legs were touching and her breathing became slower. "Well that ought to do it." Clark said suddenly, leaning back. The building moment between them disappeared and Lois blinked. "Thanks" she said again. Clark finished his coffee and checked his clothes; they were dry now. They talked more as he dressed himself, Lois quietly smiling when he put his foot into the wrong shoe. When he was ready to leave Lois got up and handed Clark his coat. "Goodnight Lois." Clark said buttoning up his coat. "Dinner was lovely." Lois said opening the door for him. In the doorway there was a pause where Clark looked like he was going to hug Lois again but he didn't. Lois felt disappointed, then surprise at her disappointment. Clark left and Lois slowly closed her front door. "Oh dear god." She muttered leaning against the wood, she'd wanted Clark to hug her again. Later on while in bed Lois turned and fidgeted. As tired as she felt, Lois couldn't get to sleep; that moment of being in Clark's arms kept replaying in her head. It almost annoyed Lois; before that night Clark Kent had never managed to make her bat an eyelid but now…now she was losing sleep over him!


	17. Chapter 17

Amber lay on Clark's kitchen floor playing with the angel pendant that hung around her neck. Clark had left for his date with Lois about an hour ago. Amber had tried, but couldn't sleep. She'd walked around for a while then ended up lying on the floor, out of sheer gloom. Amber was enveloped in the dark; the cold embrace of nothing. She felt herself fall deeper and deeper into heart wrenching memories. Tears pricked the corners of Amber's eyes and rolled down into her hair. Since losing her mother, Amber rarely felt anything except pure despair. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. The emotions pulled her down into a crushing grip that eventually drowned her. With every sharp inhale Amber let out a shaky exhale. Parts of her hair were soaked and she felt very cold. The floor made her back ache but Amber didn't bother to get up. Nothing in the world could bring her out of her anguish.

 _I miss you. I love you._

…

After his date with Lois, Clark didn't make it back to his apartment until 4:30am. First, a mugging a few streets over had interrupted his walk home, then, a police chase had him heading to the east of the city and, finally, a drunken man had fallen down onto the tracks of the subway and broken his leg. When Clark first heard the mugging he thought it was a couple talking. It wasn't until a muffled cry that he became concerned. Clark ran down into an unlit alley way.

Superman flew over the buildings until he found a man being held up at knifepoint by another man about the same age. Superman silently landed behind the mugger and placed a gentle yet vice like grip on his shoulder. The mugger twisted around surprised but stopped dead at the sight of Superman. The other man didn't hesitate to run away; Superman could hear how frightened he was. "Drop the knife son." The mugger scowled but did so without hesitation. As Superman was handing the mugger over to the authorities the police chase started.

He shot over the city, following the noise until blue and red flashing lights came into view. Five cop cars were chasing after a silver convertible. All six cars were weaving through the traffic and bullets were being fired by the men in the convertible. Superman intercepted a bullet that was inches away from an officer who was driving one of the police cars. The officer only saw a flash of red and blue before broadcasting through the radio that Superman had arrived; he was completely unaware his life had just been saved.

Looking through the car Superman saw three men, firearms, a duffle bag of explosives and another duffle bag filled with money, jewellery and other valuables. These men broke into safes. Superman flew down closer to the chase, weaving around poles and powerlines. He placed his palm over the 'S' on his chest and felt it begin to charge electrically. The forming force field tingled against his fingers. When it became strong enough, Superman pulled it from the 'S' and with pinpoint precision flung it at the convertible. The force field grew size and velocity as it got closer. The 'S' shaped crest hit the back of the car first then wrapped around the vehicle and fused together. The tires squealed as they spun and the driver had no control over the car; it was heading towards an intersection that was blocked off by a dozen more police cars. Superman flew down and placed both hands on the front of the car and slowed it down to a stop just as the force field faded. Dozens of police surrounded the car aiming their weapons at the three men inside. The men dropped their weapons and put their hands up as Superman reached into the car and removed the duffle bags of explosives and valuables. Not wanting to hang around, Superman took off from there, leaving the duffle bags with one of the officers.

Whist heading for his apartment, yells of pain caught Superman's attention. He found a drunken man lying on the subway tracks with his left leg bent at a stomach turning angle. Superman immediately took him to the closest hospital, though it was with some difficulty. Even though his senses were dulled, the man stilled screamed in pain. When Superman got to the hospital the man was in shock and hyperventilating. Emergency staff rolled him away on a bed and Superman listened to them call codes and administer drugs to treat the man.

Getting back to the apartment only took Superman half a minute. He slipped inside through the bedroom window then checked that Amber was safe in bed. She was curled up under her covers. Superman took off his suit and picked up the pair of glasses on the bedside table. As they slid onto his face his posture slumped down and his fingers through his hair, changing the style. Clark looked at himself in the mirror. He stood up straight and flexed his arms and stomach. To Clark, the constant slouching made him look anything but strong and muscular. The way he stood now showed muscle definition that would make women swoon and men jealous! The only woman Clark wanted to impress was Lois. Clark sighed, thinking of her, how much he wanted to hold her. Kiss her. Touch her. Lois. Lois.

 _Lois._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I was just clearing out an obnoxious reader. Hope you all other readers enjoy!**

Jimmy was hard at work cleaning one of his cameras. Under the lightbulbs of two desk lamps lay all the components of his camera and the cleaning equipment was aligned in front of him. It was delicate work; made all the more difficult when somebody would occasionally walk passed and bump into his desk. Every time it happened Jimmy would wipe his beading brow and take a deep breath before continuing. Finally he put the camera back together and checked the lenses. He adjusted the settings as he peered around the room, this having become a routine procedure. Amber was suddenly in the frame. Jimmy looked up and saw she was heading towards Lois's desk. Lois had left the building about 20 minutes beforehand, for what reason Jimmy didn't know. He stopped asking when he realized how often it happened. Amber was looking around anxiously and pulling at her jacket sleeves. She was also wearing a pair of brown leather boots that caught Jimmy's eye. He thought Amber looked stunning; even with a crease in her forehead caused from furrowed eyebrows. "Amber!" he called heading over to her. "Oh! Jimmy, hi. How are you?" the crease flattened out as Amber smiled. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. How about you? What are you doing here?"

"Well I came to surprise Lois. I haven't seen her since she got back. I'd been sick." Amber said looking around again. "Lois left a little while ago. I assume to get food or follow up a story lead or something." Jimmy said putting his hands into his pockets and finding a packet of bubble-gum. Amber's face fell and she shrugged. "Oh, well. I guess I'll see her another time."

"You can wait around if you want."

"I'll get in everyone's way. I might just go for a walk. It was good to see you though."

"Actually I was about to head out, to get some shots. Hopefully of something the Chief likes." Jimmy added with an awkward grin. Amber shrugged her shoulders. "Okay." Jimmy darted over to his desk and picked up his camera, coat and a spare roll of film. He didn't really need to get shots but he wasn't about to miss out on an opportunity to spend time with Amber.

…

The two walked together quietly; the only noises were coming from the clicks of Jimmy's camera. He slowed down with his lens directed across the street. Amber slowed her paced and waited for Jimmy blocking the sun out of her face with her hand. He looked up from his camera lens then over at her; Amber blinked twice and Jimmy snapped a photo of her. He smiled, "the sunlight's highlighting your hair really nicely." Amber gave him an uncertain smile; she didn't think black hair could have highlights. They walked a little while longer and Jimmy took more photos. When they reached a fountain Amber dug through her pockets and pulled out a coin. She threw it in the fountain and took a deep breath. "I always used to see people throw coins into wells and fountains as a kid. None of my wishes have come true yet."

"They will. At least once." Jimmy replied watching the coin shimmer under the water. He noticed Amber wipe a tear off her cheek but didn't say anything. She turned and began walking back the way they came. Jimmy took another photo of her; she was the focus point in a wide street.

…

Lois ripped the final page out of her typewriter before heading over to the Chief's office with the stack of other papers under her arm. Mr White stood staring out of the window, "Put it on my desk Lois." He said gruffly. Lois placed the papers on his desk then retreated from his office. With her big story finally finished Lois cleared up her desk, sparing a glace over at Clark. He was typing away with an expressionless face until he caught her glance. Clark smiled at her and his typewriter jammed.

"Lois!" The yell came from the other side of the room but she knew who it was straight away. Amber was heading straight for her with a huge smile spread across her face. Lois jumped up and bee-lined straight for the girl. She wrapped Amber up in a tight hug and almost couldn't breathe with how tight Amber was hugging her. "I missed you so much. How was your trip?" Amber cried as they pulled out of the hug. "It was great; I had a wonderful time."

"You must come for dinner tonight and tell me everything that happened." Amber said happily. "That'd be great sweetie." Lois said motioning to Clark who'd been putting his typewriter back together. There was ink on his fingers from the ribbon. "Clark, Lois will be coming over for dinner tonight." Amber said with a grin, "That sounds nice. What will we be having? Should I pick something up?" Clark said pleasantly. "No, no I'll cook." Amber said still very bubbly. Clark smiled and adjusted his glasses leaving ink marks next to his left eye. Amber giggled. Clark looked confused as Lois offered to bring drinks. Amber agreed with Lois then said her goodbyes to them and Jimmy, who was back at his desk. Clark turned and looked at Lois. She smiled with a small laugh before handing him her handkerchief. "You've got some ink on your face." Clark turned away and furiously wiped around his face completely missing where the ink was. Lois snorted, "You might have better luck in the bathroom Clark."

"Uh, thanks Lois. I'll do that." Clark said before stepping around her. Lois watched him go and snorted again but an odd feeling of adoration hit her. The feeling made Lois's stomach flutter.

…

Back at the apartment Amber was cooking dinner while playing a record on Clark's turntable. She was thinking about earlier that day when she and Jimmy were at the fountain. Her wish was simple; a family. She hadn't meant to weep but the tears overflowed before she could stop them. Amber sighed. A family, filled with love and affection. Amber knew her wish couldn't come true, trying to replace her parents would only resolve in grief. The last song on the record finished and Amber went to choose another record to play. She flipped through Clark's small collection and found one by The Beatles. A smile pulled at Amber's lips and she put the record on, turned the volume and waited for the music to start. Not knowing how to dance didn't matter to Amber right at that moment; when her body caught onto the beat of the music she just let herself go. All around the apartment she went, jumping, grooving, whipping her hair, shimmying, sliding and singing along. The music suddenly turning down shocked Amber and she spun around on the coffee table to see Clark standing by the turntable, still in his coat, with a smirk playing about his face. Amber went red, fixed on the spot. _How much did he see? Please tell me he didn't just stand there watching!_ The two stared at each other silently. Finally Clark broke the silence and laughed, "Relax Amber, I don't mind you dancing on the coffee table." Amber lightly jumped off and began to bite her fingernails. "So you like to dance I take it." Clark said shrugging out of his coat and hanging it up. Amber mumbled a reply and went into the kitchen to check the food. Her face was hot and red. She heard Clark turn the record off and closed her eyes; she felt he was unimpressed, he had neighbours after all. Suddenly a slower song began to play. Amber didn't recognise it but she felt comforted that Clark put it on. Amber shook some salt into the pot and gave it a stir. "Care to dance Amber?" Amber jumped and spun around, clutching the salt shaker. Clark stood in the kitchen with his hand out to her, his face soft and friendly. "When did you even come in here?" Clark chuckled and beckoned her. "Come on."

"I… don't. Know how… to dance." Amber admitted slowly. "Just stand on my feet then. I'll lead." Amber looked down at Clark's shoes then up at his face. He seemed confident enough so Amber put the salt shaker down. She took Clark's hand and he wrapped his other arm around her as she stepped on to his feet. Her free arm slid up to his shoulder. Clark seemed so tall. Before she knew it he was moving, suddenly in the living room stepping in time with the music. Amber giggled as he spun them around and dipped her low to the ground. "So… what dance is this?" Amber asked when she was upright again. "Foxtrot."

"Cool." Amber replied looking at her feet on top of his. Her weight didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. The song finished and Clark ended the dance. Amber stepped off Clark's feet and he gave a small bow. With a giggle Amber curtsied back. The next song started to play as they walked into the kitchen. The beef casserole Amber was cooking was almost ready. "Lois should be here in half an hour or so. Would you like me to watch the food so you can get ready?" Clark asked as he pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "Yes! That would be great." Amber darted to her bedroom, for she finally had started to think of it as hers, not as the guest room, to get ready. She changed into a white embroidered blouse and dark purple floor length skirt then pulled her hair up into a bun. Amber scrubbed her face and hands. She slipped into her lace up shoes which were hidden by the skirt; tonight wasn't meant to be formal so Amber intended on dressing that way.

She came back out and started setting the table as Clark got ready; his outfit change wasn't all that noticeable, just into a different set of dull clothes. "Do you still have that green and blue striped tie?" Amber asked eyeing off the mustard yellow one he'd chosen. "Yes why?" Clark asked touching his mustard tie. "Green and blue might go better with that jacket." Amber stated politely. Clark nodded before going back to his room and changing. When he returned Amber nodded approvingly. "You should pick out all my ties Amber." Clark said smoothing his jacket over. The doorbell rang. Amber skipped over on her toes and opened the door to see Lois rugged up in a coat with a big smile on her face. "Amber!" Lois threw her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly. Amber felt her ribs getting squished but she didn't care. Lois smelt of expensive perfume and cigarettes. "Let me in sweetie it's freezing out here." Lois said pulling out of the hug. Amber closed the door and took Lois's coat and the bottle of wine she'd brought. She mouthed 'wow' at Lois's dress. Lois waved her off with a bashful smile. The dress was muddled mahogany colour, knee length, tight and long sleeved. Amber saw Clark catch his breath when he walked into the room. "Lois hi! Did you ah, get here okay?" Clark gave Lois a quick one armed hug which she returned. "Yes. I took a taxi."

"Well the casserole is just about ready so I'll start serving it." Amber said before walking into the kitchen. She heard Lois and Clark talking about work related stuff as she plated the food. The plates were taken to the table along with the wine and hot bread rolls. The wine was a chardonnay; H _m, bet it's gross_. Amber thought to herself. Clark and Lois joined Amber and the trio sat down. Clark opened the bottle and poured two glasses for Lois and himself. Lois took one forkful of the casserole and moaned in delight, "God this is amazing!"

"Thanks Lois." Amber replied feeling somewhat satisfied, "so how was Rome?" Lois swallowed her mouthful and turned to Amber. "Oh Amber, Rome is such a beautiful place. If I wasn't so committed to my job I could have easily shopped the whole time I was there… I'll have to show you some of the things I got when you move back to my apartment." Lois added while tearing a bread roll in half. Amber didn't know what to say. Over the past few weeks she'd gotten comfortable with Clark; she'd even forgotten that the original plan was for her to move back to Lois's when the time came. "That'd be great Lois." Amber answered with a quick smile. "Now that you're better, when will you be moving back anyway?" Lois continued politely. Amber spared a look at Clark; he was watching her. "Uh… I guess soon? When is good for you?"

"Oh anytime sweetie; did I give you a spare key? I don't remember. I'll get you another one anyway and you can let yourself in whenever you like." Lois replied.

"I'll help Amber move her things Lois, once she's all packed and ready." Clark said pushing his glasses up his nose. Amber sipped her water and looked at him over the rim of her glass. She wondered if he was feeling the same as her or if he'd rather her leave. In all honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if Clark did want her gone after the shit she'd put him through when she ran away. "Lovely. So did anything happen at the Planet while I was away Clark?" Lois asked. Clark cleared his throat and began briefing Lois on work related events. Amber didn't care to listen in; she was preoccupied with thoughts of moving out of Clark's apartment.

The meal seemed to breeze by and after dessert, which was ice-cream and tinned peaches. Lois, Clark and Amber ended up in the living room sharing stories. Amber sat on a pillow by the fire place, keeping warm, while Lois and Clark shared the couch. "I cross my heart this story is true. And I've never told anyone so you two must keep it secret too!" Lois said pointing at Clark then across at Amber. Clark laughed and leant back, "okay, let's hear it."

"When I was a little girl, my parents are I were travelling on a train somewhere, don't remember where, I was too young- anyway! I was looking out of the window with these huge binoculars and there he was! This kid running as fast at the train, faster even! Neither of my parents believed me. And I swear that that kid was Superman. You know, before he became Superman." Lois finished with a smile and slumped back into the couch. "No way! The chances of that seem pretty slim." Amber replied with a laugh. "I believe it." Clark objected. Lois looked across at him. "You do?"

"Well, yes. Of course the chances are slim but it's still possible. Why don't you ask him? He might remember." Clark suggested. "I doubt he'd remember. It was years ago."

"That's true but it's still worth a shot, after all he is Superman."

Amber yawned she was struggling to stay awake. It was nearly 12:30. She stood up and stretched letting her long skirt fall from a ruffled pile around her knees back to her feet. "Well it's been a great evening and all but I'm going to head to bed before I fall asleep here in front of the fire. Good night Lois." Amber walked over and kissed Lois's cheek. "Good night Clark." Amber hugged Clark from behind the couch, wrapping her arms around his neck. She whispered a few words to Clark before leaving the room. Amber stopped and looked back at the two on the couch. They looked right together. It made Amber smile.

…

"She wore her favourite perfume tonight." Clark heard Amber's whisper clearly and his eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what Amber meant by it. Clark could smell the perfume the second Lois had walked in, it was expensive and sweet. "Would you like another drink Lois?" Clark asked moving on from Amber's comment. "Only if you're having something." Lois answered and she finished the last of her wine. "uh, I was going to get a... get a water."

"Sure." Lois replied with a sudden bored tone. In the kitchen Clark took several deep breaths. He was nervous. Lois was so beautiful, her smile made his heart flutter. Water spilt over the rim of the glass and Clark was pulled from his daydreams as he turned the faucet off. He brought the glasses of water to the coffee table and sat down again. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, I've had this old thing tucked away for months." Lois replied smoothing the sleeves of her dress out. "I wasn't talking about the dress." Clark felt himself melt at Lois's cheeks turning red. "Thank you." She whispered bashfully. "I had a really lovely time with you the other night." Lois said looking across at Clark. He felt his lips pull into a smile. "Aw geez Lois… So did I. I'm glad yo- you enjoyed yourself."

"Maybe we could go out again some time." Lois stated taking her glass of water from the coffee table. "W-wow, sure. I'd like that very much." Clark was stunned. He hadn't imagined Lois wanting to organise another date with him at all. But here they were. "I'll make some arrangements." He added on. They sat silently for a few minutes; each sipping their water. "It's getting cold in here." Lois mumbled while staring at the dying embers in the fire place. Clark knelt down to stoke the embers; he put more wood in and blew on them until they glowed brightly. When he stood up and brushed himself off Lois was suddenly standing next to him, holding her hands out to warm them. Clark could smell her hair; there was a trace of cigarettes too. The fire flickered and shadows danced along the contouring of her face. Clark was memorised. He placed a hand on her arm, moving her to face him. Lois's eyes met his. Clark ran his hand up the outside of Lois's arm to her shoulder; his other hand he slowly placed on her waist, ready for any kind of rejection. He pulled Lois forward and stared at her lips. His stomach was fluttering. Clark leaned down and pressed his lips to Lois's. When the rejection didn't come Clark continued to kiss Lois. His entire world caught on fire when she started to kiss him back. Lois's hands slid up Clark's chest and wrapped around his neck and Clark drew Lois closer to him by wrapping his arm around her waist. Passion almost consumed Clark but he held on to reality by a thread. His breathing was jagged and rough. Clark didn't want the kiss to end; he couldn't get enough of Lois.

Soon the kiss began to slow down and Clark let Lois pull away when she wanted the kiss to end. When she pulled away Clark felt incredibly vulnerable. He bit his lip. Lois rested her head against Clark's chest and their breathing slowed down and back to normal. "Where did that come from?" Lois whispered. "I've wanted to do that for a long time." Clark replied quietly while running his fingers through her hair. He knew she was smiling.

…

As Lois's taxi drove off down the street Clark stood on the balcony pulling off his tie. The rest of his clothes landed on the ground around his feet as he undressed. Lastly, Clark took off his glasses and placed them on the balcony railing. He stepped up next to them and looked up. A police helicopter flew past. Superman zipped off the balcony and followed it. He was ready for anything.


	19. Chapter 19

Amber unzipped her floor length skirt and let it fall to the floor. She continued to undress then stepped out of the pile of clothes to get her comfortable pale green pyjamas. The cotton felt warm against her skin as she put the clothes on. Once in bed, shivering in the cold sheets, Amber shuffled around to get comfortable; she ended up on her side with one leg tucked up close to her chest and one arm tucked up under the pillow. Now that she was comfortable and the sheets were warming up Amber was free to let her mind roam. The topic of moving back in with Lois was quickly settled upon. Amber had missed Lois; but Lois hadn't been told why Amber had disappeared for two weeks yet. Lois hadn't forgotten about it, the topic was almost brought up earlier that night but Clark had asked Lois a question that got her going for a while. Amber wondered what Clark and Lois were doing as she lay there in bed. _Hopefully kissing,_ Amber thought with a smile. Amber thought again about moving back to Lois's; deep down Amber did want to move back. After all, Clark had been through hell and back because of her. She had a feeling he'd wanted his normal life back.

…

Clark's closeness gave Lois goose bumps. She could feel the hair stand up on her neck as he pulled her in closer, pressing her up against him. Clark's chest pushing in and out, his hand gripping her back and the motion of the kiss was making Lois lightheaded. She kissed him harder and pulled herself closer. Clark moved with her; letting her take the lead. Lois slowed the kiss but didn't break it; it let Clark's jagged breathing return to normal. Finally the kiss slowed to a stop and Lois pulled away gently. When she looked at Clark he was biting his lip and staring at her, his eye wide and vulnerable. It made her heart flutter. Lois rested her forehead against his and their breathing synchronised. "Where did that come from?" She whispered. "I've wanted to do that for a long time." Clark's reply made her smile. She stood like that with Clark for a few minutes; letting the moment be. It was a perfect moment; nothing else in the world mattered. Clark felt tall and firm to Lois and his arms engulfed her, keeping her warm. When the embrace ended and they stepped apart Lois found the distance uncomfortable. She itched to be in Clark's arms again. To distract herself Lois phoned for a taxi. There would be a 10 minute wait before arrival. Lois hung up the telephone and told Clark the taxi was 10 minutes away. "Uh… Can I get you a coffee Lois?" Clark asked as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Lois didn't reply straight away; she was watching Clark unbuttoning. "Oh… No. Thank you though." Lois replied snapping out of her distant thoughts. Clark shrugged and sat down on the couch; Lois quickly joined him, sitting closer than she'd planned. Clark and Lois sat silently, each waiting for the other to speak. Neither of them managed to come up with a topic and all too soon they heard the sound of a car horn form the street. It was the taxi.

Clark silently got up and picked Lois's jacket up off the coat hanger and helped her put it on. "It was lovely seeing you tonight Clark." Lois said hooking her handbag over her shoulder. "You too Lois." Clark replied smiling at her. As a final farewell Lois pecked Clark on the cheek at the door. Clark smiled again and it was one of the sweetest smiles Lois had ever seen. As Lois walked towards the lifts she was lost in a sea of thoughts that made her stomach flutter and her heart melt all at once.

The air outside was much colder and sent shivers right through Lois so when she climbed inside the taxi and shut the door the driver turned the heat up. "Very chilly tonight aye miss. Where to?" Lois gave her address to the driver and leaned against the window as the car weaved through the streets. On the way Lois kept replaying the kiss over and over in her head. It was a whole new side to Clark that she'd just met and Lois had to admit she was excited to see more.

...

Amber sat on the roof of the building looking up at the stars. Over her pyjamas she was rugged up in two cardigans, a scarf and a beanie; only her nose was cold. As she stared up at the stars Amber sung to herself a soft tune with no words. Her song danced around the falling snowflakes that kissed her cheeks. Amber felt content as she sang. Her singing stopped when the snow did; everything was silent. Out of the corner of her eye Amber saw something moved and a quiet sob met Amber's ears. The hair on Amber's neck began to stand on end. The sobbing grew louder. Amber stood up and faced the shadows were the sobbing came from. It began to turn into cries and screams for help. The voice was unforgettable. Amber was barely breathing, "m- mum?". The screaming stopped and Cathy stepped out of the shadows. Her face was wet with tears. She smiled at Amber. "Oh my baby," Cathy said with a warm voice and soft smile. Amber started to smile back. "You left me there dead. Now I'm in hell." Cathy's voice became cold as she spoke. The blood drained from Cathy's face and her shirt began to soak through and drip with blood. Amber watched, terrified, as blood pooled around Cathy's feet. Cathy held the wound and gasped in pain. "You did this to me you little bitch!" Cathy yelled at Amber, causing her to jump back in fright.

Cathy groped at the wound; blood getting all over her hands. There was anger etched in Cathy's face when she looked back up at Amber.

"You did this to me you little bitch!" Cathy's voice was amplified, rattling around Amber's head; it repeated over and over again and Amber covered her ears and closed her eyes. "No! no! I'm sorry!" Cathy screamed again; a loud, long ear piercing. That caused Amber to open her eyes. Cathy was running at her. Amber felt her stomach twist into knots as Cathy pushed her to the ground. Amber thrashed about trying to get out of Cathy's grip. She was scratching at Amber's face and pulling her hair. Amber screamed loudly but was choked off as she felt hands wrap around her throat. Amber looked up and saw Doug's face. His grip tightened and Amber tried desperately to claw his hands off her throat. Doug grinned. Amber felt her eyes bulging and face swell and go hot. She was forcing her eyes to stay open; forcing her nails into Doug's skin. Amber's vision began to blur and as she blinked Doug was replaced by Superman. Amber tried to say something but she was seconds away from going under. Tears ran down her temples and she went limp. She blinked once more and it was now Clark. "I got hurt because of you." His voice echoed into the darkness.

...

Most people wake from their nightmares like a dive out of water; rather than diving down into a murky unknown they quickly amerce from it and go up to solid ground with their lungs heaving for air. Amber didn't wake up this way. She thrashed around in the darkness, legs kicking and hands reaching out for something to hold. There was no air; Amber couldn't breathe, her chest felt crushed and her throat burnt. She tried to scream but nothing came out. The murky unknown wrapped around Amber, crushed her, killing her. Suddenly a strong grip embraced Amber's shoulders. She couldn't see but knew she was being pulled out of the murkiness. The embrace became firmer and there were noises; Amber heaved in as much as air as her lungs would allow then she shrieked as she amerced from the darkness. "Amber! Amber! Wake up!" She heard him before she saw him. Clark knelt over her, hands on her shoulders, and an incredibly worried look on his face. Amber's shriek cut out and she gasped for air, choking and coughing. Clark cradled Amber in his arms, gently rocking her, as she began to cry. Her crying didn't calm down either; Amber began to sob harder and covered her face in her hands. Her blood was pumping in her ears and the faces were still flashing through her mind. Amber felt Clark pick her up and carry her out the room; she hung limply in Clark's strong arms. There was sudden cold air around her, shocking Amber enough to make her sobbing halt for a moment. Clark had taken her outside. "Take a breath Amber. Gently." Clark stroked Amber's back as she sobbed. She wiped her wet cheeks with her hands and looked around at the ground. Clark was sitting on one of the chairs still holding her in his arms. Making eye contact with him was something she couldn't bring herself to do. Clark continued to rub her back as she rested her head into his shoulder and cried for a while longer.

Eventually Amber's crying turned to shivering. Clark stood up and carried her inside; he put Amber on the couch then wrapped a blanket around her before sitting down next to her. Amber continued to think about her dream as she sat with Clark in silence. _Cathy, Doug, Superman, Clark. Cathy, Doug, Superman, Clark. Cathy. Doug. Superman. Clark._ _Superman, Clark, Superman, Clark. Superman. Clark… SUPERMAN! CLARK! NO FUCKING WAY!_


End file.
